When you think of the tremendous technological progress we have made, it's amazing how little we have developed in other respects. We may speak contemptuously of the poor old Romans because they polished,accomplished,abolished,relishedthe orgies of slaughter that went on in their arenas. We may despise,adore,fancy,imaginethem because they mistook these goings on for entertainment. We may forgive them condescendingly because they lived 2000 years ago and obviously knew no better. But are our feelings of superiority,infertility,superficiality,inferiorityreally justified? Are we any less blood-thirsty? Why do boxing matches, for instance, attract such universal interest? Don' t the spectators who attend them hope they will see some violence? Human beings remains as bloodthirsty as ever they were. The only difference between ourselves and the Romans is that while they were honest enough to admit that they enjoyed watching hungry lions tearing people apart and eating them alive, we find all sorts of sophisticated arguments to defend sports which should have been banned long age; sports which are quite as barbarous,interesting,hospitable,friendlyas, say, public hangings or bearbaiting.