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

The John Batchelor Show · Jul 27, 2026 · 16m

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…