'The Roman games were cruel and degrading and cannot be justified,' How far do you agree with this opinion?
The Roman games have been a source of interest for many years and were part of Ancient Roman life throughout the Roman Empire for several centuries. The opinion that they were 'cruel and degrading' I think is without doubt if we consider them only from a modern western perspective, however, if we are to seek their justification or otherwise we need to examine further the tradition and it's place in Roman society. The games were an integral part of life within the Roman Empire, a forum in which all social circles could join together with the emperor or leader and see myth and legend come to life, the eradication of wild beasts who threatened their existence and law and order being exercised, and even play a part.
If we look at the Colosseum and the displays that are reported to have been hosted there, we can infer that many of the 'shows,' were, by today's western standards, unacceptable the poet Martial in his 'Book of Shows', written in celebration of the Colosseum's opening, describes one display that was put on during the Colosseum's grand opening. Martial describes the re-enactment of the legend of the Minotaur and says 'Believe that Pasiphae was mated to the Dictaen bull,' meaning that a female convict was forced to mate with a bull, this grotesque spectacle however is not greeted with distaste, but with further praise, he says of the act 'the old legend has won credence,' due to the re-enactment of this legend the emperor has given validity to the story and made it a reality.
Martial also gives us an example of the cruelty that animals endured as he describes the fate that meets a pregnant sow in the arena, he says she is 'made parent by a wound' and that from this...
More Roman History
essays:
The Purpose of Marriage in Ancient Roman and Modern American Society
... existed in ancient Roman married life that illustrate the Roman purpose of marriage. Unlike modern American society which has no real restrictions regarding who is able to marry whom, ancient Romans had to follow and meet specific criteria. In civil law ...
The roman army.
... the emperor. The majority of the soldiers in the imperial roman army were, in fact, legionaries. A legion was made up of an estimated 5,500 men. With somewhere between 28 and 30 ...
The Fall of the Roman Empire
... the Western Empire were newer and weaker. When these cities came under pressure, much of the population fled to the countryside. (Microsoft 5) Germanic tribes also played a big role in the downfall of the Roman Empire ...
Four things about the Roman Empire that intrigues people
... the Roman ideals. Almost every civilization would want to conquer the world. The Republic, the military, the social classes all of these are aspect of roman life that ...
Roman weapons
... became standard, until superceded by a flat oval shield in the third century CE. The Romans used three main types of body armor: mail, scale, and segmental ...
Discuss how far football stadia resemble the Roman Colosseum in their provision for spectators.
... the Roman Colosseum in many ways. The ancient writers reacted to the Roman games in varying ways, some were in favour 'Martialis' and 'Statius' and some were against 'Seneca' and 'St ...
Julius Caesar as a general.
... the Roman state which students of history have been eighteen centuries in acquiring". James Sabben-Clark in his book Caesar and Roman Politics ... of ancient historical figures. In his life he gained recognition as a general, a politician and a reformer. Both ancient and modern ...
The Fall of the Roman Empire Explains the fate of Rome in the West in the course of the 3rd to 5th centuries AD. Accounts for the role of Christianity for both the Roman West and East.
... The Emperor Justinian is known most for his Corpus Juris Civilis laws that he enacted. These laws consolidated Roman law and Christianity ...