Roman Gladiator Culture

When society today thinks of Ancient Rome, we typically think firstly of the gladiators, and images of gruesome, bloody battles between men and/or exotic beasts on the field of the Colosseum immediately come to mind. Most people cannot understand why any ruler would condone this type of public violence or why anyone would go to support and cheer on the games in the first place. Because of modern society’s values and mores, we look upon the ancient recreational activities with disgust and outrage, but we usually do not stop to consider the change in society’s values and norms today from over 2,000 years ago. Because of Ancient Rome’s standards and ethics, the gladiator events became important symbols for its culture; the public eagerly and …show more content…
Events often included theatrical performances that told a story and usually ended with a murder; themes of everyday life were involved to capture the audience’s attention and establish a connection between the public and the actors (20:3). Since the events held in the arenas largely engrossed and relaxed the audience, they could be considered a form of stress relief: a distraction to the public from any economic, social, or political issues that were going on at the time. The events made the audience feel satisfied throughout the entirety of the games and plays, and it influenced the public’s overall opinion on the gladiator events. On the contrary, there were a few people who opposed the fights, such as Cicero and Seneca (195:1). These people showed no hesitation to voice their opinion on the cruelty bestowed in the arena, but even among the many critics of the games, there were some who couldn’t refuse the captivity of the events that took place on the field. One example of a gladiator critic falling in love with the events is a boy named Alypius: he had an immense hatred for the games and their brutality, believing it wasn’t right for anyone to be subjected to the games’ torture, but when he was taken to an event by his peers, he was so utterly captivated by the scenes in front of him that he cheered on the event with exhilaration (10:2). It appears even …show more content…
The ten-year building of the Colosseum alone proved the dedication the Romans had towards them, where architects and builders worked non-stop to remove thousands of tons of earth and no doubt spend thousands of sestertii (Roman currency at the time) on this extravagant superstructure (103:1). The amount of money that went into each game depended on the class of the gladiators and the type of show that was to be held (80:2). Additionally, along with trading gladiators, training them was an investment, a business. Managers had to assess the risk of the fights they were putting their gladiators through to receive the highest possible return of their investments (84:1). The Romans put so much money into these gladiator fights because it was the only source of reliable entertainment that was available. Roman leaders were compelled to pour some of their wealth into the games because it was a method of showing their power and strength. The violence and brutality of the events were a part of Rome’s culture, and that is what drives the Romans to attend the games and donate a large portion of their finances into

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