The foundation of Greek Un-Civilization: Violence in Greek and Roman Antiquity: Today's Greeks claim to be descendants of

[rick murphy]

http://www.sparta.markoulakispublications.org.uk/index.php?id=224

Violence in Greek and Roman Antiquity

by Nikolaos Markoulakis

Violence permeated all aspects of ancient Greek and Roman culture.
Ancient literature, art, and historical evidence demonstrate that the
Greeks and Romans understood the important role which violence played
in their cultures. Myth provided numerous stories of acts of violence
committed by both gods and humans. Watching violence in the form of
gladiatorial competitions was a popular form of entertainment. The
violence which initiated and later removed tyranny in Athens, as well
as the regularity with which Roman emperors were assassinated,
demonstrates that the Greeks and Romans understood that violence was a
means of achieving political ends. Violence was also state sanctioned:
the testimony of a slave was only admissible in a Roman trial if
extracted under torture. And Greek tragedy explored violence as a
manifestation of some of the darker aspects of human nature.