Were the Ancient Romans bad people?

The Ancient Romans were a bloodthirsty lot. As entertainment, they headed down to the local arena, to watch people and animals fight to the death. Today this would be illegal in many parts of the world. But the Roman Empire was a long time ago, and maybe they didn't know any better. So were the Romans wrong in how they lived their lives and can we judge them for it?

This season is a special collaboration between the ABC Audio Studios and WNYC Studios in New York City.

Hosts: Carl Smith and Shumita Basu

Series Producer: Kyla Slaven

Executive Producers: Emily Botein and Ian Walker

Producer: Amy Pearl

Sound Engineers: Isaac Jones, Hamish Camilleri, Jolen Camilleri

Production Support: Sarah Sandbach and Brigit Berger