01-04-2002, 04:46 PM
What is striking about the "blooodlust" of the Romans is that some of those "blodthirsty" Romans already considered gladiatorial games a revolting tradition.<br>
When Caesar bragged about annihilating 400.000 (Caesar's figures) Germans, some of those bloodthirsty Romans were so shocked that they suggested to cut his head off and send it to the survivors as an apology. Of course it was political. The important fact is that political or not, it was at that time an acceptable argument for some "bleeding heart liberal" Romans.<br>
And while all this bloodlust was going on, the marvellous, nature-loving Gauls were delicately decorating their homes with the heads of their enemies, or turned them into deliciously crafted drinking cups, after apparently indulging into ceremonies which may have consisted in the ritual dismemberment of the bodies.<br>
I didn't mention the human sacrifices, the systematic massacre of POW's and evidence of cannibalism found recently in northern France and dated from the La Tene period.<br>
Everything is relative, said Einstein. Relatively to us, the Romans were a violent inhuman and cruel culture. Relatively to their neighbours, they were an advanced humanistically minded culture. <p></p><i></i>
When Caesar bragged about annihilating 400.000 (Caesar's figures) Germans, some of those bloodthirsty Romans were so shocked that they suggested to cut his head off and send it to the survivors as an apology. Of course it was political. The important fact is that political or not, it was at that time an acceptable argument for some "bleeding heart liberal" Romans.<br>
And while all this bloodlust was going on, the marvellous, nature-loving Gauls were delicately decorating their homes with the heads of their enemies, or turned them into deliciously crafted drinking cups, after apparently indulging into ceremonies which may have consisted in the ritual dismemberment of the bodies.<br>
I didn't mention the human sacrifices, the systematic massacre of POW's and evidence of cannibalism found recently in northern France and dated from the La Tene period.<br>
Everything is relative, said Einstein. Relatively to us, the Romans were a violent inhuman and cruel culture. Relatively to their neighbours, they were an advanced humanistically minded culture. <p></p><i></i>
