History–about Roman Gladiatorial game, history homework help

Gladiatorial games once a staple of Roman popular culture, have been resurrected today in various forms of extreme fighting. While not “murder as public sport,” they remain reminders of how barbaric the Roman practice was, and what its existence said about Roman society.

Read the essay on Gladiator Games and Document 5.5 in Documents in World History “Seneca on the Gladiators.”  Use these documents to respond to the following questions:

What does the practice of “gladiator” fighting tell us about the nature and values of Roman Civilization?

What does our present obsession with “sports” and “sporting events” tell us about the nature and values of civilization in the late 20th and early 21st century?

Be sure to make direct reference to both the essay and the piece by Seneca.

Responses should be long enough to respond to the questions, but 1-2 pages is a good rough estimate.