Guest spartacus Posted March 3, 2005 Report Share Posted March 3, 2005 Just supposing you could go back to Ancient Rome, bearing in mind you have the knowledge of Rome and its ways as you have now and you were offered a free ticket to the Coliseum to watch a days "entertainment" which included Gladitorial duels to the death, executions, animals slaughtered and people fed to lions etc would you go or would your conscience make you tear up your ticket? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moonlapse Posted March 3, 2005 Report Share Posted March 3, 2005 If I could go back in time, I would want to see anything I possibly could. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest spartacus Posted March 3, 2005 Report Share Posted March 3, 2005 Moonlapse Would that include a visit to the coliseum? Stop dodging the issue! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Primus Pilus Posted March 3, 2005 Report Share Posted March 3, 2005 I would absolutely, without question, go to the games. While, yes, there were executions and death, the vast majority of gladiatoral combat did not end in death. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest spartacus Posted March 3, 2005 Report Share Posted March 3, 2005 Ok PP, let me put it another way! If the games were held now, in our times would you still go? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Primus Pilus Posted March 3, 2005 Report Share Posted March 3, 2005 Hmm, I do attend the modern equivelants... ie American Football here, Soccer for Europeans, and every other sport on the fringe and in between. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest spartacus Posted March 3, 2005 Report Share Posted March 3, 2005 Modern sportsman are not killed! So, my question still stands! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Primus Pilus Posted March 3, 2005 Report Share Posted March 3, 2005 Yeah, hell I'd go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest spartacus Posted March 4, 2005 Report Share Posted March 4, 2005 so PP, you could sit there quite happily whilst lions ripped apart women and children! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pompeius magnus Posted March 4, 2005 Report Share Posted March 4, 2005 Spartacus you forgetting some important realties. First, that back in Roman times it was completly accepted. Paterfamilias could kill there sons if they had just cause to, such as him disagreeing with him, so it is no wounder that these games had men killing each other. Also it is no different than our executing of criminals and the death penalty. Most of these gladiators were criminals, in the case of Spartacus who was a ditcher of military. On the other side, in our culture today death is not accepted. If my father decided I had angered him and he kills me, he goes away for a long time. Football, like PP said, and rugbee and soccer are all to us what the gladiator games were to the romans as the modern stadium is off the roman design, which is based in part from the greek design. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
longbow Posted March 4, 2005 Report Share Posted March 4, 2005 If i could go back to Rome i would watch the gladiators,watching skilled men duel is something i would like to see.When defencless people or animals are being killed i would just leave and go see something else. L Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Primus Pilus Posted March 4, 2005 Report Share Posted March 4, 2005 so PP, you could sit there quite happily whilst lions ripped apart women and children! No, I'd go to see the gladiator games. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moonlapse Posted March 4, 2005 Report Share Posted March 4, 2005 If I could go back in time, I would want to see anything I possibly could. That means ANYTHING. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fatboy Posted March 4, 2005 Report Share Posted March 4, 2005 I'd be there front row centre, baying for blood with the rest of the plebs.( when in Rome........ ) I might take some strategic toilet breaks though, if there were any particularly gruesome executions that day, cos they'd be hard to watch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scaevola Posted March 4, 2005 Report Share Posted March 4, 2005 Well, it seems like you are aiming for a morality question here, so I'll give my answer. Go back to ancient times and watch a full day's games, executions, etc.? Yes I would, with probably only a little guilt and remorse. By and large, I would remember that they were dead and buried almost 2000 years before I was born. Regardless of what I do or don't watch, they're just as dead. For a confirmation (though undocumentable) of activities that occured both in the arena and in the stands and hallways of the Coliseum , an opportunity like this would not be missed. Modern day bloodsports (boxing, full contact martial arts, fighting championships, etc.)? I haven't watched them in years. I used to find them entertaining, now they seem pointless and mildly offensive. I love contact sports (playing and watching from the stands, not TV) like rugby, american football, golf (hey, watch "Happy Gilmore" ), but bloodsports are not my bag. I also no longer support the death penalty (too many mistakes coupled with not enough punishment). So I would not attend a modern version of the games. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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