Roman Games - Death in the Arenas

If a beast fighter could defeat a bear or a lion during the games, he would be held in very high esteem.  Surviving records tell us that one man killed twenty animals in one show.

By noon, on the day of a game, the killing of animals was over.  Thereafter, the animals killed the criminals, including women.  Historians tell us that Romans did not view any of these events as non-civilized.

After the animals were removed from the arena, the gladiators fought.  During this part of the games, the animals who died were cooked so the spectators had food for their journey home.

By the time the Roman games ended, having lasted many centuries, millions of animals (which had once lived in the Roman world) had died in the trade (or in the empire's arenas).

Credits

This clip is from Beasts of the Roman Games (a BBC documentary using ancient sources, modern excavations, expert interviews and recreated scenes). Online, courtesy BBC Worldwide Channel at YouTube.