If you have ever visited the utter majesty that is Rome and witnessed first hand it’s beauty, it isn’t difficult at all to see how such a city could have effectively been the centre of the Ancient world for such a long time (just shy of 500 years in the West).1163Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKfIVBD4exe
To modern society, it seems like a different world. Full of gladiators and emperors, battles and chariot races; something we love to soak in through a Hollywood blockbuster or something we marvel at during the Summer holidays. Yet, have we ever stopped to think just how similar we are?1163Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ129s87O0TZ
We are so intent on seeing the differences that we ignore the similarities.1163Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5bQH0nc3T2
The Colosseum is one of the top things to do when visiting Rome (second only to the remarkable Sistine Chapel) with thousands of tourists stepping back into the past and pouring through those iconic archways into an eternal ‘arena of death’. The majority will not take the guided tour. The majority will be there simply to cross off the ‘Colosseum’ box on their to-see lists. They will not see past the death and the gore. They will stare with wonder at the floor of the arena, wondering who had died there and how bloody their death was. They will see the arena as a place of execution; of throwing Christians to the lions; in short, of death and nothing else. What they will not see is the stage where the mock naval battles were held. They will not see the parades, the horse races, the animal displays.1163Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjEd17Z82sm
Tourists will stand in the Colosseum, staring at its faded facade, wondering how people could watch such barbarity, failing to realise that we, as a society, are remarkably similar to the Romans.1163Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ63gNr5IufN
We build huge stadiums all over the world. We watch football games and wrestling. We watch two men fight each other in all cultures, from WWE to Sumo. The only difference between this and gladiatorial combat is that the men don’t kill each other.1163Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡExX7noWoIi
Exactly, I hear you say. They don’t kill each other. But where is it written that all gladiators were killed in the arena? This is a myth perpetuated by Hollywood. In fact, the gladiator that would deliver the killing blow would look up to the stands to seek permission from his master or trainer before striking. This is because if the victorious gladiator did kill the other, his master would have to compensate the other for the loss of his gladiator. In short, killing gladiators was a waste of money, and in no shortage of cases, both parties lived. Gladiators were fighters, and were not always trained to fight to the death. Therefore, how can we with any credibility say that we are different from the Romans? On the most fundamental level: they liked to watch people fight and we like to watch people fight.1163Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh97CT7zrw8
We even build our stadiums in the same circular shape. We obsess over modern football players just like gladiators were lionised within their own society. We crave the action and the violence, the sport and the chase. We need it like we need air. Thousands flock to these matches like fish to water.
We name our planets after their Gods, we use a staggering amount of their language and we buy replicas of their coins at our local museums. We watch horse racing and we place bets. We follow a democracy and buy into their aesthetic. So many government buildings are adorned with columns and domed ceilings. We look at the Roman Empire as the epitome of power and success, but simultaneously we separate ourselves from this society. Thousands of years may separate us, but cultural difference does not. We can tell ourselves that we are not a society that invades, that we are not as ruthless and brutal, but for myself at least, I cannot buy into it.1163Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsnB19uK1pb
The British Empire took over India, very much against the will of the people and how can we claim with any hint of truth that we are not a ruthless and barbaric society, when wars are commonplace and poverty still exists on such a large, wide spread scale?
You will now, I suspect, be thinking about the position of women in this society, and the use of slavery. But again, we are not quite so different as you may think. In Greece, slaves were undoubtedly treated worse than their Roman cousins, but in Rome itself, slaves were permitted to buy their freedom. Once free, they could vote and be an active member of society. There were no longer any restrictions of any sort upon them. They could marry whomever they wished and live peacefully to the end of their days. Now, contrast this to the slave trade of the early modern world. The despicable conditions of African slaves, worked almost to death and treated as little more than animals. At least the Romans allowed their slaves a little dignity once they were done with them.
And as for women, although they could not vote, they were still classed as citizens. Women could also hold the position of Vestal Virgin, arguably one of the most important roles - they secured Rome’s religion and appeased and honoured the Gods. Women were not altogether worse off than women all over the world before the 1900’s. Even today, we are still fighting for women’s rights. To suggest that we are different from Romans because we treat slaves and women better would be nothing short of laughable.1163Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjoXnl5DbWJ
And finally, I know you’re thinking: “But the Roman’s murdered Christians!”1163Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmmU6D6n2hx
Wrong. Rome legalised Christianity. Had Emperor Constantine not done so, perhaps Christianity would have died down and we would all still be worshipping Zeus/Jupiter.1163Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmNBckjlE5t
Granted, Christians were killed. I do not make any effort to deny it. But place it into perspective. They lived in a society ruled by the Gods. Vengeful, temperamental gods that could be angered remarkably easily. To anger the gods would bring death, disparity, poverty, disease… you get the picture. And so, if a group in society (in this case, the Christians) were disobeying those gods and not paying their respects, they are threatening the entire Empire. The gods could chose to destroy the Empire because they were unhappy with the ignorance towards them from the Christians. It is easy to see, in those terms, why the Romans were threatened by Christianity before its legalisation.1163Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhnOqtmo3ys
Again, we love to distance ourselves from this. From the persecution of a religious group. We see it as awful and barbaric and something we ourselves would never do… and yet we do.1163Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzJY7fmG7vQ
Islamophobia has never before been so wide spread, anti-semitism is resurfacing, even after the horrors of the second world war. Religious warfare still reaches extraordinary heights - even higher than in the times of Ancient Rome.
And so ask yourself, are we really, truly all that different from the Ancient Romans?
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