Society has changed, is changing now and will change yet again soon. It is always in a state of perpetual flux and yet we always think of it as a static, fixed and unchanging constant. Culture is the expression of society and the culture of any society leaves its mark on the world in the form of the artifacts it produces. Our definition of a culture is largely shaped by the legacy they leave behind. The Coliseum is one of the great legacies left behind by the Roman civilisation of two thousand years ago or so. It acts as a vivid reminder of a society that endorsed slavery, public displays of bloodletting, and many other forms of excess with a regularity almost unparalleled in the rest of human history. Mention the word Roman to anybody today and you could lay money that the first thought to enter their head would be Gladiator, always a popular subject for films too. Of course the Romans had a gentler side as well and produced much literature, poetry and other forms of fine art. In the