Even today, many centuries after the last gladiators died in Roman amphitheaters, people find these arena warriors fascinating. Reenactments of gladiatorial combats have been featured in modern novels and movies (the most famous in both cases being Spartacus ), and gladiator-like fights to the death have increasingly become the focus of popular video games (such as "Mortal Kombat"). There are also, of course, a number of modern combat sports, including boxing, judo, karate, and the so-called ultimate fighting. But in none of these is the object to kill one's opponent; serious injuries and death are relatively rare in these sports. Perhaps it is the element of mortal danger involved in the Roman munera that many people today find fascinating. The idea of competitors routinely killing one another to entertain the public is so alien to modern cultural...