What was bad about the gladiator fights?

Answer 1

To our present day way of thinking, gladiatorial fights would be horrible because of the death and injury that was sometimes involved. To the ancient way of thinking it was a contest of bravery and courage. We can't make a valid judgment about an ancient custom because we are living in a different time with different ways of thinking especially in the area of the value of a human life.

Answer 2

It was true that gladiator fights were held in ancient Rome. It was also true that some men died after losing a fight, but it was not as often as Hollywood would have you believe. It is true that gladiatorial events were extremely expensive to arrange. It is true that by the time of the Caesars the gladiators were professional fighters with codes and standards. The practice of staging gladiator fights was handed down to the Romans from the Etruscans. This civilization existed before the Romans settled near the Tiber River from Europe. Later in history as Rome's power was expanded to an empire, gladiator fights were held in arenas in many parts of the empire. Any Roman city that had an amphitheater of any size could be expected to have gladiator fights. For very wealthy Romans, private gladiator fights could be arranged at the wealthy Roman homes.