It is a venerable site, a fabled destination of
grisly entertainment for a people who turned
out in great numbers to enthusiastically
choose favourites among the slaves, the
conquered prisons of war, the criminals
among them for whom freedom and life
would be granted if they succeeded in combat
defending themselves from the equally
desperate criminals, slaves, prisoners all
seeking the award of thumbs up and liberty.
This, in the splendid city of Rome, the center
and beating heart of the Roman Empire
whose Emperors sent their centurions their
legionaries and tribunes to pacify the savage
tribes seeking to free themselves from
Roman occupation, like the Judaeans in
the province of Syria-Palestine when a revolt
was punished by Rome destroying Solomon's
ancient edifice in Jerusalem and exiling the
troublesome indigenous Jews. Now there are
vandals in modernity, where the amphitheater
witness to gory drama and bloodshed of
animals and humans, a shrine to epic history
is now defaced by heedless tourists in their
ignorance of history and heritage; for shame!
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