Gregory Aldrete

There were a group of 29 Germans who all sort of said, we're not going to fight for the Romans' pleasure, and they strangled one another the night before they were supposed to fight. So, I mean, you have people sort of objecting to being complicit in this kind of performance as well.

There were a group of 29 Germans who all sort of said, we're not going to fight for the Romans' pleasure, and they strangled one another the night before they were supposed to fight. So, I mean, you have people sort of objecting to being complicit in this kind of performance as well.

Yes.

Yes.

Yes.

And animals fought animals. Yeah, the Romans were a little weird with their animal thing. They loved exotic animals, but mostly they liked to see the exotic animals die. So, I mean, there was an enormous industry collecting wild beasts, transporting them to Rome, which is no easy matter to transport elephants and giraffes and rhinos, particularly in

And animals fought animals. Yeah, the Romans were a little weird with their animal thing. They loved exotic animals, but mostly they liked to see the exotic animals die. So, I mean, there was an enormous industry collecting wild beasts, transporting them to Rome, which is no easy matter to transport elephants and giraffes and rhinos, particularly in

And animals fought animals. Yeah, the Romans were a little weird with their animal thing. They loved exotic animals, but mostly they liked to see the exotic animals die. So, I mean, there was an enormous industry collecting wild beasts, transporting them to Rome, which is no easy matter to transport elephants and giraffes and rhinos, particularly in

This era of technology, but they were like draining Africa and bringing lions and all these things and sacrificing them.

This era of technology, but they were like draining Africa and bringing lions and all these things and sacrificing them.

This era of technology, but they were like draining Africa and bringing lions and all these things and sacrificing them.

Well, the Colosseum, its real name is the Flavian Amphitheater, is interesting because for a long time, Rome always had a chariot racing arena, the Circus Maximus. But it didn't have a permanent gladiatorial venue until relatively late, until about 80 AD, so during the reign of the Emperor Vespasian. And he built this thing. So he built the Flavian Amphitheater.

Well, the Colosseum, its real name is the Flavian Amphitheater, is interesting because for a long time, Rome always had a chariot racing arena, the Circus Maximus. But it didn't have a permanent gladiatorial venue until relatively late, until about 80 AD, so during the reign of the Emperor Vespasian. And he built this thing. So he built the Flavian Amphitheater.

Well, the Colosseum, its real name is the Flavian Amphitheater, is interesting because for a long time, Rome always had a chariot racing arena, the Circus Maximus. But it didn't have a permanent gladiatorial venue until relatively late, until about 80 AD, so during the reign of the Emperor Vespasian. And he built this thing. So he built the Flavian Amphitheater.

He was from the Flavian family of emperors. And he did it as a deliberate act of propaganda. So before him had been Nero, who was sort of seen as a crazy or bad emperor. And one of Nero's indulgences is he had built this enormous palace for himself called the Golden House.

He was from the Flavian family of emperors. And he did it as a deliberate act of propaganda. So before him had been Nero, who was sort of seen as a crazy or bad emperor. And one of Nero's indulgences is he had built this enormous palace for himself called the Golden House.

He was from the Flavian family of emperors. And he did it as a deliberate act of propaganda. So before him had been Nero, who was sort of seen as a crazy or bad emperor. And one of Nero's indulgences is he had built this enormous palace for himself called the Golden House.

So it was kind of this pleasure palace with 50 dining rooms and all this stuff, and it was basically wasting a ton of money on him, right? So right on the site where Nero had his golden house, Vespasian says, I'm going to erect a new building on top of it that's going to be for the pleasure of the people.

So it was kind of this pleasure palace with 50 dining rooms and all this stuff, and it was basically wasting a ton of money on him, right? So right on the site where Nero had his golden house, Vespasian says, I'm going to erect a new building on top of it that's going to be for the pleasure of the people.

So it was kind of this pleasure palace with 50 dining rooms and all this stuff, and it was basically wasting a ton of money on him, right? So right on the site where Nero had his golden house, Vespasian says, I'm going to erect a new building on top of it that's going to be for the pleasure of the people.