Perhaps the most intriguing, for me, is the Roman love for watching "blood sports," as well as, their exploitation of animals and people.
Just for the dedication of the Colosseum alone up to 5000 animals died.
Under Nero, in just one day, 400 tigers fought with bulls and elephants. He also had a segment of his guard fight over 400 bears and 300 lions.
The "crazy" Caligula, had some 400 bears killed in just one day.
Claudius had a certain division of his guard fight panthers and Nero did the same.
Criminals were often dressed in animal skins and sent into the ring with lions, or tigers. The Romans viewed this "treatment" of "criminals" as acceptable, for in their eyes they viewed it as a reasonable way for the "criminal" to be given a "chance" for his life, as well as, a deterent for those who may be thinking of doing something bad.
They paid huge sums of money, around $5,000,000 a year to India for such luxuries, such as tigers, cheetahs and elephants, along with other notables such as spices, silks, cloth of gold, perfumes and brocades. That amount of money, for that time, was astounding!
Cicero hated the slaughter and Seneca, who went to the games one afternoon when the stands were virtually empty, wrote this: " I come home more greedy, more cruel and inhuman, because I have been among human beings...fighters are sent out with no armor of any kind; they are exposed to blows at all points, and noone ever strieks in vain....in the morning they throw men to the lions; at noon they throw them to the spectators. The crowd demands that the victor who has slain his opponent shall face the man who will slay him in turn....Man, a sacred thing to man, is killed for sport and merriment." (Durant 387)
Durant, Will. The Story of Civilization: Caesar and Christ; Simon and Schuster, NY 1944
