Yes, but... I don't believe we've progressed as much as we commend ourselves on. Certainly I think there are plenty of folks out there who would be happy to watch the same bloody battles if they were available, just witness the cries of censorship when people try to restrain the violence and nastiness shown on television. And, btw, the ships battle at the colluseum only happened once, as far as can be told. It was recorded early after the building was complete, but then the developers added huge amounts of underground corridors, keeping rooms, and holding pens, and after that there was no way to keep flood waters contained. (My sole reference, a PBS show on engineering and archaeology) The spectacles in the colluseum were an on-going development. They started out as being simpler battles between condemned criminals; last one standing to receive a pardon (ie, giving the Gods the right to judge) and progressed exponentially as the emperors discovered that giving the crowds bread and circuses kept them pacified. Basically, there wasn't enough work for everyone to make a living, so they gave them food and entertainment to prevent them from rioting. A large part of that was due to the inheritance system, and the system of political power: if you weren't part of it, you couldn't aspire to become part of it.
Romans
I don't believe we've progressed as much as we commend ourselves on. Certainly I think there are plenty of folks out there who would be happy to watch the same bloody battles if they were available, just witness the cries of censorship when people try to restrain the violence and nastiness shown on television.
And, btw, the ships battle at the colluseum only happened once, as far as can be told. It was recorded early after the building was complete, but then the developers added huge amounts of underground corridors, keeping rooms, and holding pens, and after that there was no way to keep flood waters contained. (My sole reference, a PBS show on engineering and archaeology)
The spectacles in the colluseum were an on-going development. They started out as being simpler battles between condemned criminals; last one standing to receive a pardon (ie, giving the Gods the right to judge) and progressed exponentially as the emperors discovered that giving the crowds bread and circuses kept them pacified. Basically, there wasn't enough work for everyone to make a living, so they gave them food and entertainment to prevent them from rioting. A large part of that was due to the inheritance system, and the system of political power: if you weren't part of it, you couldn't aspire to become part of it.