Native American Vs Roman Gladiators

1996 Words8 Pages
Looking from the beginning of the Roman civilization, Rome had been deemed a violent place. The Rome founding story of Romulus and Remus tells of two twin brothers. They are cast as savages to live a life in the woods until they are discovered by a she-wolf. The words used to describe the brothers, savages, already underscores the idea that the place they will be created will reflect off their savage attitudes (Garcia 2013 ). At a similar point in time, there was another group of people given the same name. These people were called Native Americans. The native american were the first settlers in the region which is now known as the United States of America. They were said to be savages, but the people who concluded to their demise could be…show more content…
Central ideas of Roman cultures revolved around bloodshed, war, and slaughtering, so it made perfect sense why gladiatorial fights were one of the most popular "sport-like" events in Rome. Gladiators were men that were trained to fight against other men or animals. Gladiators can be seen in equivalence to a modern day mixed martial arts fighter or boxer. Gladiators ranged in age and were usually men of the lower classes or even prisoners. Unlike Roman gladiators, American fighters are typically found in the upper, richer classes. The connection of class between gladiator and American fighter comes from non professional athletes. Street boxers in the U.S are found in poorer areas and use boxing as an escape utilizing techniques that they've learned through the street life. They fight their way up in status in order to gain money and even popularity through the fighter's world word of mouth. In Ancient Rome, gladiatorial fights were held in a big amphitheater called the Colosseum. In the United States, the Colosseum can be compared to a boxing arena. The Colosseum was massive and held over an estimated 50,000 to 80,000 people. Boxing arenas now are huge, indoor theaters with a capacity of over 10,000. Though there os a big dip in numbers, both venues are grands and very popular landmarks of the entertainment world. Romans of all classes enjoyed, watched, and accepted the gladiatorial games. The Colosseum…show more content…
The Romans saw no problem in using death as a source of punishment and even developed a small practice of crucifixion in which wouldn't be socially or even morally acceptable in modern U.S. Domestic violence is a serious crime in U.S culture where males and even some women can face major jail time for displaying acts of domestic violence. The biggest issue, now, is domestic violence against women. The average man can face months to even years in prison due to abuse again a woman in terms of physical and sexual abuse. Romans had a totally different mindset. Because women had no rights, they were viewed as property of their man. A man could do whatever he pleased with his property. Women could be killed, beat, or even sold into sex by their husbands and fathers. These are acts that today, in America, would be seen as malicious and lead to big ordeal of prosecution again the male. Overtime, the United States has developed the moral of "violence is never the answer". Violence is viewed socially wrong, and violent retaliations get an even worse press response. In American school systems, all fights, even fights of self defense, face great consequences. Romans had a belief that "mercy is weakness and brutality is the answer". It was view socially unacceptable for Romans to back down or not partake in violent activities which shows a totally shift between the views of Americans versus Romans.

More about Native American Vs Roman Gladiators

Open Document