38. By the 2nd century, Rome’s rulers had embraced gladiatorial fights as a great way of keeping the masses happy and subdued
It was the Roman poet Juvenal, who lived in the 2nd century AD, who first came up with the term “bread and circuses”. Like many of his peers, he was critical of gladiatorial fights and other Roman public games. While some Romans felt that gladiators were a means of extolling the virtues of Rome – namely courage, strength and skill in battle – others, like Juvenal believed they were simply a means of controlling the masses. By being distracted by gladiators, the people of Rome would quickly forget the lack of freedom they had under the Empire.