S8 Ep1172: Gaius and Germanicus: Gaius recounts the tragic tale of the elephants in 55 BCE, who were lured from North Africa with promises o

Gaius and Germanicus: Gaius recounts the tragic tale of the elephants in 55 BCE, who were lured from North Africawith promises of safety only to be slaughtered in Pompey's arena. The elephants' pathetic pleas moved the Romanaudience to tears, and Gaius notes that Pompey was later "cursed," meeting his end by decapitation in Egypt. Germanicus explains that while gladiatorial combat was a sacred Roman martial ethos used to relive military glory, the empire eventually shifted toward a Greek-Christian vision. This new era, centered in the East, rejected the "primitive tribal vision" of the arena in favor of piety and universal equality. Under Christianity, slavery began to die out in the Eastern Empire. The hosts conclude by preparing to meet a delegation of retired gladiators—men who survived the arena to become free citizens. (3)