To distract citizens from the daily grind, and to protect their own base of power, the Emperor and other wealthy families hosted (and advertised) games. And what games they were! (Don’t miss the videos in this paragraph which provide an interesting history of the Roman games and an understanding of how wild animals were sent to gladiatorial arenas.)

In the Colosseum - away from the wild animals that were often brought into the arena - Rome's citizens were safely seated, separated by class distinctions. Sometimes they watched men fight other men. These gladiators, as they were called, were Rome's equivalent of movie stars - except that gladiators were members of the lowest class.

Sometimes gladiators fought wild animals instead of each other. Sometimes animals killed other animals. The arena floor was always covered with sand, to absorb all the blood.

At the Circus Maximus, where chariot races and other fanciful activities fascinated the crowd, seating by class distinction was also part of Roman life. Even today's ruins tell a story: Where were the crowds? Where was the Emperor?

Near the end of his disastrous rule, the Emperor Commodus was in the arena, a "gladiator," dressed as Hercules Venator (Hercules, the Hunter). It was the final mockery.