Archaeological records indicate the gladiators were grain eating vegetarians
and in pretty bad shape for it. Their adversaries in battle were strong meat
eating Manichean Romans.

Equating civilization with grains in the nuclear middle east and
presupposing that was an advancement is debatable. By whose standard? With
that came patriarchal authority and continual blood lust wars of domination,
and the bane of human culture in the arising of monotheism.