If you were in Rome...?

Question

If you were in Rome...?
The Colosseum in Rome displayed some of the bloodiest spectacles in history made all the more disturbing by how popular they were. Gladiators were killed daily, entire species of animals went extinct, criminals were tortured, hundreds of thousands of women/girls raped, and an untold number of Christians fed live to wild animals.

My question is just as difficult to ask as to answer: if you stumbled into Ancient Rome, would you be found in the throngs waiting in line at the Colosseum?

To LION HEART: actually, some animals (or "beasts," if you prefer) were used in Colosseum games to extinction. A particular breed of elephant was particularly popular due to their association with Hannibal.

When they started digging tunnels for Rome's subways, they found mass-graves of the beasts packed so tightly from mass-killing that they were still decomposing almost 200 years later!

P.S. In response to your question about the Middle Ages, they would've burned me at the stake long ago...

To PaulCyp: Eh... both.

Answer 1

This is a good question. As a human rights and animal activist I can honestly say I would go no where near the Colosseum, but those where such different time and who's to say we would not all be fascinated but such thing at this day in age I would not but can only pray at that time I had felt the same...

Thank you ;-)

Answer 2

of course. It is one of the reasons to go to Rome.

You're taking this way to serious bro. Gladiators were the athletes of that time, people volunteered to be one. It is not just 'slaves' made to fight. More often than not, lions and tigers were too scared to even come out the cages to go eat the Christians - because of the roar of the crowd. Etc.

If this is what you hold as a criteria to justify a visit to a place, chances are you are living in a city or country that has the same type of history. Europe has seen years of battles, wars, etc. You would then not want to visit any place cuz the ones worth visiting all have their dark days. Not just in Europe. Would you refuse to talk to a German cuz mid last century they had concentration camps? Refuse any Japanese made product cuz they attacked the USA? How about not ever going in a Church because Christianity killed half a population in pursuit of reforming people to "believe". Forget going to Egypt to see piramids = they had slaves and conquered other tribes. Don't go living in the US, cuz settlers from Europe killed the native population and placed the survivors in concentration camps as to get the land. Don't ever eat spanish food = they once butchered half of south america to get their gold.
In fact stay home. You can't even travel because thousands of people lost their lives in airplane accidents due to faulty engineering and cost cuttings by airliners. Surely buying an airline ticket cannot be a moral thing to do then. How about driving cars? Using oil for which thousands suffer each minute of the day?

Consider that the Colosseum was build for a purpose, for a reason = to keep a city and a society in check. Visitors were fed free of charge during the games. It kept the people happy, well fed, entertained and loyal. Resulting in a culture that still have influences in today's culture. Two sides to every story, aye?

What you hold as values now were not values that day. What you would hold against a city, monument, people or other because of things that happened hundreds of years ago only enforces what you try to avoid. Today's human rights and laws would not have meant a thing back in Roman days. If you hold such moral to balance out what is just and what not = consider the alternative. If people are not reminded of the past, and the mistakes and hardships suffered then = how will it be avoided to see repeated?

Answer 3

First of all...

When the gladiators fought the animals (or "beasts"), they didn't kill off the whole population on any specific species ..

Modern humanity has done that, not ancient Rome...

...and If I lived in ancient Rome, I would be one of the ones who thought it was wrong and wouldn't partake in such cruel sightings.(at least I would hope not)

I AM a Pagan. A peaceful one at that...in tune with the natural world and universe that we observe even though nothing in our brains tells us TO observe the world (quantum theory).

Now...tell me... if you were Europe in the middle ages, would YOU be condemning the herbal healers and medicine men and women as worshipers of the Devil? Would you accuse me of that? Even though I was using the craft for GOOD, and not EVIL?

**Edit**
I will look up what species ya'll are talking about. Thank you for clarifying my misconception.

Answer 4

I'd have to go....just to see the structure as it was....to see if the thumbs down was in fact a good thing, not a bad thing...
To see them flood the Colosseum to play mock wars on mock ships, and to see how the floor moved. IT was truly a marvel! The death would be hard to stomach, but not everything in the Colosseum was a death match.
I do not condone these actions...but would witness history as it has never been done by modern man.

Yes, I would go.

Answer 5

Contrary to popular belief, not a SINGLE Christian was ever actually martyred at the Roman Colosseum. There were, however, other smaller fighting areas around the Roman empire where they were executed for sport.

Answer 6

Thongs? No, I wouldn't be wearing a thong. Oh wait, throng...oops, sorry, hehehehe. My bad.

Not that many Christians were fed to the lions. There were different sects of Christianity and each wanted the attention of the Emperor and they turned on each other with lies about the other. Hollywood made it look like millions of Christians were fed to the lions. The Catholic church thumped it too to draw attention to Christianity.

Answer 7

Wouldn't you be curious about it too? You'd have to see it at least once. You certainly couldn't protest something you never actually saw. Tickets were free, but watch out for pickpockets in line!

LIONHEART, Europe used to have indigenous lions but they were trapped and/or killed for arena entertainment. The Romans and farmers pretty much killed them off before AD.

Answer 8

No, I would be the guy up on the soap box exhorting the Romans to feed those christains to the lions at a much faster pace.

Answer 9

Eh, when in Rome, do as the Roman's do?

You must also remember that Ancient Rome was vastly different from today's society.

Answer 10

Nope. The women had to sit in the nosebleed seats, and I am very nearsighted; I wouldn't be able to see enough to make it worthwhile. Besides, I don't like listening to people scream in agony.

I'd be the bluestocking girl sitting at home reading a scroll.