Watching the Gladiators

How were gladiators portrayed in ancient Rome?

It’s almost football season, so we’re about to be treated to nonstop images of burly men in helmets doing physical violence to each other for our entertainment. 

Like many Americans, I have a complicated relationship with the sport. It’s awful for many reasons, but it’s also one of the few remnants of shared American culture, and it’s one of the few thin…