Question

A historian is interested in learning about the ancient Roman Colosseum, an arena where trained fighters battled one another for spectators' entertainment. Many gladiators were slaves who were forced to fight to the death with other people and even wild animals. The historian has a difficult time understanding how any person would enjoy, or even tolerate, watching such things! If the historian wanted to use contextualization to better understand the Colosseum, which of the following actions would he take?
 A.Study ancient Roman culture to learn more about Roman attitudes toward violence and slavery B.Write an article expressing his point of view that no human could ever be entertained by killing C.Search for primary source records to learn how many slaves were killed in the Colosseum D.Consult secondary sources to determine if most Colosseum gladiators were slaves

Answer 1

Study ancient Roman culture to learn more about Roman attitudes toward violence and slavery :D 

Answer 2

The historian should: A) Study ancient Roman culture to learn more about Roman attitudes toward violence and slavery.

To learn any subject that involves history, it is very important to know the context as many things change depending on the period and place selected. By studying Roman culture he will be closer to undestanding the values that were learned and exalted. He would probably learn that being a slave was very common and rarely questioned. The way death is undestanded might have changed as well.

In this way the historian can take some distance from his own values and preconceptions and have a broader understanding of the topic chosen.