The gladiatorial games of ancient Rome were a fascinating part of the Roman culture. However, the Romans did not come up with this phenomenon themselves. As with many other aspects of Roman culture, the gladiatorial games were influenced by the Etruscans. The funerary games of the Etruscans involved traditions similar to that of Roman gladiatorial combat, but it had important traditional religious significance. Introduced to Rome in 264 BC, eventually the Roman games lost all their original religious meaning and were meant purely for entertainment. .
As the games were meant to entertain mass audiences, the fighting took place in amphitheaters throughout Rome and its provinces. The most famous of these amphitheaters is the Flavian Amphitheater in Rome, commonly known as the Colosseum (see Fig. 1). It was called the Flavian Amphitheater because it was built by members of the Flavian Dynasty. Vespasian started the building in around AD 75, Titus dedicated it in AD 80, and Domitian added some finishing touches during his rule (AD 81-96). In the middle ages the amphitheater was renamed the Colosseum because of the colossal statue of Nero that used to stand next to the building. This magnificent monument could hold up to 50,000 people, all cheering on the gladiators in the arena. .
While today it seems horrifying that so many people would enjoy watching so much blood and death, it was perfectly normal for the ancient Romans. Their empire was founded by conquering neighboring countries, so violence is what made their empire so powerful. To the Romans it was considered a weakness if one was to be upset by such a gruesome spectacle. As Keith Hopkins explains in his book on sociological studies in Roman history:.
The popularity of gladiatorial shows was a by-product of war, discipline and death. Rome was a militaristic society. For centuries, it had been devoted to war and to the mass participation of citizens in battle.