Roman Influence

             At the Roman seminar on Saturday I learned so many interesting things. The most interesting thing I learned was that entertainment today was influenced by Ancient Rome.
             The Colosseum is a well-known structure in Rome and was used for entertainment. Men battled vicious animals and faced death. The Colosseum had over hundreds of trap doors. These trap doors held animals, such as lions, which would pop up and end someone’s life. There was no telling when an animal would appear and how the fight would end.
             Many people came to the Colosseum to watch violence. I thought only the wealthy came but many lower class Romans came too. What was interesting about the lower class coming was their reason. The day to day life of a Roman was very stressful. They had to worry about how they would feed and provide for their family. To let out all their stress they would come to the Colosseum. Watching others suffer was their entertainment. The lower class would collect what little money they had and go to the stadium. Watching the violence and people die was their way of relaxing.
             Many of the events at the Colosseum generally resulted in death. The attraction to violent pass times and sporting events is still alive and well today. Take for instance the popular sport of boxing. This brutal and bloody sport is loved worldwide. The legendary boxing champion Muhammed Ali is still a well-known celebrity and held in high regard. The popularity of boxing seems very similar to the popularity of the fights held at the Roman Colosseum. The winners of both fights were the one who displayed the most brutality.
             Saturday’s seminar taught me that the world that we live in today was influenced by Ancient Rome.
 -Haven

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