I was just watching the quite graphic swords and sandals tv epic series - 'Sparticus - gods of the arena ' and just looking at the blood lust of the spectators during the gladitorial contests ( it's set in Capua ), I was just wondering what if these types of contests potentially to death outlived the Roman empire and spread beyond it and indeed have there been any similar contests common in other civilisations at that level?
Also if the audiences for them were made sit through a baseball, rugby, soccer, cricket, US football contest or any modern sport in a top class arena how would they react? - probably intensely bored!
Also this series isn't just graphic ( by US TV standards ) on gladitorial fighting, it also is quite good on lovemaking scenes including homosexuality and lesbianism and orgies, so an additional question - how liberal was the empire on these matters for ordinary citizens and slaves as well as the aristos and when Rome became christianised did what happened to these liberal practices, could they have lived side by side with Christianity?
Also if the audiences for them were made sit through a baseball, rugby, soccer, cricket, US football contest or any modern sport in a top class arena how would they react? - probably intensely bored!
Also this series isn't just graphic ( by US TV standards ) on gladitorial fighting, it also is quite good on lovemaking scenes including homosexuality and lesbianism and orgies, so an additional question - how liberal was the empire on these matters for ordinary citizens and slaves as well as the aristos and when Rome became christianised did what happened to these liberal practices, could they have lived side by side with Christianity?