The Origins of Gladiatorial Games

The wealthy and powerful were expected to give liberally from their own pockets for the benefits of their communities. The practice of private giving for public purposes was the norm for urban aristocrats throughout the Greco-Roman world. One estimate suggests that the total annual value of gladiatorial games was on the range of 60 to 120 million sister-seas. That sum doesn't include animal fights, the cost of public executions or the free food and booze that went along with these entertainments.