#my;post

[jikook-took-over-my-life]

Jungkook, unbuttoning shirt: Ugh, it's really hot in hear. Jimin: I know but why are you unbuttoning my shirt? Jungkook: (͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

[bun-bun-ae]

Contestants Greg and Dotty + Eunhyuk dancing to “Sorry Sorry” and “U”

[bun-bun-ae]

Contestants Greg and Dotty on Masked Singer covering “U” by Super Junior

[bun-bun-ae]

[parissmithah-blog]

Gladiatorial Games

The Emperors believed that holding the gladiatorial games was a good way to keep the people of Ancient Rome happy and satisfied with the how the city was being ruled (Trueman, C., 2000). These shows were free to the public and the government provided free bread – the combination that they believed would keep the unemployed people of Rome happy (Trueman, C., 2000). 

This ultimately was extremely successful. The citizens of Rome never questioned the government and barely voiced any unhappiness. They took pleasure in watching the slaves fight and die, because it gave them a sense of power themselves. 

Cicero in 50BC wrote, “The wild beast hunts, two a day for five days, are magnificent. There is no denying it. But what pleasure is there in seeing a puny human mangled by a powerful beast or a splendid animal killed with a hunting spear” (Trueman, C., 2000). This is quite contradicting as Cicero is expressing his displeasure in the slaves’ fights. Perhaps because he was more scholarly than regular citizens, he might have recognised the meaning behind the games. However, even to Cicero’s distaste, the Gladiatorial games were successful in completely the purpose they were made for, although making life harder for slaves and in turn causing revolts.

[parissmithah-blog]

Revolts

The mistreatment of the slaves ultimately ended in revolts. Although the living conditions of the slaves did get better once Rome turned into an Empire.

If a slave was sick, maimed, or aged, etc., there was no leniency toward them in terms of rest, although they were compelled by threats in their labour, until they died through ill-treatment in the midst of their tortures (Cavazzi, F., 2012). Appian elucidates in Roman Civil Wars, “The slaves did not liberate the peasant farmer to take part in democratic politics, but to fight and conquer an empire.” (Kamm, A. 2009). As this source states, the slaves did not fight to become equals, they fought for their own freedom. 

This poor treatment of the slaves led to rebellion and several Slave Wars, the most famous being the revolt led by the gladiator slave, Spartacus (Alchin, L. 2015). 

The Gladiatorial games were a successful tool in not only keeping the citizens of Rome happy but also keeping the slaves in place.

[parissmithah-blog]

Citizens

Initially the slaves were used to help and entertain the people of Rome in a distraction to keep them from questioning the true motives of the Empire. Although since there were so many slaves being brought into Rome, it was beginning to have a bad effect for the citizens. Many Roman farmers lost their jobs because there were so many slaves, some of the poor were released from agricultural work (Manson, M.K., 2013). 

This caused horrific over population problems; food shortages, violence, disease, and the widespread problems of housing and fires (Kamm, A. 2009). Also, reliance on slave labour led to the deterioration in morals, values and ethics (Alchin, L. 2015). This was because the citizens of Rome saw the slaves as tools and barely treated them like they were human, punishing them as if they were animals. 

Although using the slaves in the Gladiatorial games was extremely successful because it did in fact not only keep the people of Rome happy but kept them busy as well.