Did you know that Roman citizens did not go to gladiator fights to see blood and suffering, they went for aesthetic pleasure?

Did you know that Roman citizens did not go to gladiator fights to see blood and suffering, they went for aesthetic pleasure?

Roman citizens did not go to gladiator fights to see blood and suffering, they went for aesthetic pleasure.

Those muscular men engaged in close combat in the arena excited the artistic sensibility of the citizens. Although blood flowed, they did not see blood. 

They saw the gracefulness of the brawny arms rising in the air. They saw the brilliance of the swords and the frolic of the sweaty bodies, the footwork... In short, they saw the beauty of the whole. They were aesthetes worshiping Art and Beauty. 

They did not see cruelty because there was none: gladiators do not kill each other out of personal hatred, but because death is part of the show. If the loser's life is spared, the spectacle loses power. The gladiatorial fight finds its meaning in the death of the vanquished and in the risk that the victor runs.

The gladiator is made to fight and, until the moment of sacrifice arrives, he leads a life of luxury. Furthermore, it has been scientifically proven that the vanquished does not suffer when pierced or speared. 

Gladiator fighting is culture, like bullfighting or ballet or opera. It is an artistic show of the highest quality, and it is incomprehensible that it has been banned nowadays.

#DailyJourney