Scene from the movie Gladiator
Considering the success of the movie “The Hunger Games”, we do not differ much from the ancient Romans when it comes to the passion for cruel pastimes.
Gladiators fighting each other in the middle of the day were called gladiatores ad meridaini and were recruited from thieves, murderers and arsonists who deserved because of their crimes to death in the arena – noxi ad gladium ludi damnati. There was no place for grace. Everyone fought with each other until the last couple stayed in the arena and finally only one fighter remained. These fights were called munera sine missione – fights in which no mercy would happen.
Sources
- J. Carcopino, Widowiska, p. 232-233
