After Carthage in 201 BC, the Roman Empire entered a dangerous period where all gladiator fights were at fashion. The article “Murderous Games: Gladiatorial Contests in Ancient Rome” by Keith Hopkins discusses combat and how it was used for entertainment; where war was considered “fun”. And at the time, the Roman Empire had between 50 and 60 million inhabitants, a fifth/a sixth of the world's population. The Roman Empire was a warlike state where animals and humans were sacrificed. People from all walks of life were sacrificed for funerals and for entertainment purposes. In this analysis, I will discuss their purpose, the animals involved, and the present of Rome since this period. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay The purpose of gladiator combat was pure entertainment. Rome was a cruel place where people were used for dangerous misdeeds. At the time, gladiator fights were acceptable in their eyes, but in today's society, it is considered unethical. People worshiped gladiators as if they were pop stars. They were famous and considered the greatest people in Rome; they were considered heroes by the public. People also supported gladiator fights out of fear, and if they opposed them, they soon found themselves facing the same dilemma as the gladiators, death. And when the people went to the arena as an audience, and one day there were not enough criminals to be sentenced to death, then they killed a crowd of people in front of the wild animals. The emperor was the only person who made the decisions. He made this decision because sometimes things didn't work out the way he wanted them to. On many occasions, the public objected and asked for favors, such as lower taxes, food, or the execution of another person. But sometimes people who shouted suffered the consequences. During this period, the emperor made the decisions and people's lives were in his hands. Animals were also involved in this cruel activity called sport. Large numbers of animals were used as entertainment and then killed. Some of the many animals involved included elephants, ostriches, lions and more. Criminals, animals, slaves, and other people were sent into arenas to fight, and many of them did not survive; no one comes out alive. In one day, 3,000 people fought (including men and women) and 5,000 animals were killed in the arena. This shows the size of the arena, which also included more than room for 50,000 people. One of the greatest spectacles was that performed by Emperor Trajan to celebrate his defeat against Dacia. The fight lasted 123 days; with 9,138 gladiator fights and 11,000 animals killed. The emperor then began to introduce more animals; animals like crocodiles, rhinos, giraffes and tigers. At one point the number of hippos began to decrease more and more until one was imported from Europe by steamship from London. Wild animals appeared to have declined during this period due to the enormous number of fights. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a personalized article from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay Rome has changed since these times, which is part of it..