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Worst Roman Punishment?


Sextus Roscius

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No the recipe book is not guilty its an aside I noticed in "Rubicon".

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  • 2 weeks later...
And anyways, does anyone know roughly how many times decimation has been used?

 

Sorry, I don't have a estimate. I feel sorry for any slave subjected to be a witness, the only way they were allowed to obtain information was through some of these methods.

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Attested incidents of Roman decimation in the Republic and early empire...

 

471 BC - the war with the Volsci under Appius Claudius - Livy History of Rome 2, 59

 

71 BC - Crassus during the revolt of Spartacus - well attested by Plutarch and others

 

48 BC - Caesar's 10th - Dio Cassius describes the drawing of lots in book 41 chapter 35, though other evidence suggests this as a pre-arranged execution of the mutinous leaders rather than a strict decimation by definition.

 

37? BC - Marcus Antonius during his Parthia campaign - Dio Cassius XLIX, 27

 

37 or 36 BC? - Augustus or Agrippa in the Dalmatian campaign - Dio Cassius XLIX, 38

 

17 or 18 AD - Legio III Augusta during the war with Tacfarinas in Africa - Suetonius Life of Augustus 24, Tacitus Annals III, 21

 

69 AD - Galba during the Year of the Four Emperors - Tacitus Histories 1, 37, Suetonius: Galba 12

 

Feel free to add the Imperial period... notable incidents off the top of my head would be Maximian and the Theban legion circa AD 286.

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Thank you for that P.P.

 

Wasn't another punishment simply being starved to death as with who ever tiberius's second heir was besides Caligula who was starved to death under the imperial palace, its rumoured that on the last few days before he died he was forced to eat his mattress stuffing!

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Attested incidents of Roman decimation in the Republic and early empire...

 

471 BC - the war with the Volsci under Appius Claudius - Livy History of Rome 2, 59

 

71 BC - Crassus during the revolt of Spartacus - well attested by Plutarch and others

 

48 BC - Caesar's 10th - Dio Cassius describes the drawing of lots in book 41 chapter 35, though other evidence suggests this as a pre-arranged execution of the mutinous leaders rather than a strict decimation by definition.

 

37? BC - Marcus Antonius during his Parthia campaign - Dio Cassius XLIX, 27

 

37 or 36 BC? - Augustus or Agrippa in the Dalmatian campaign - Dio Cassius XLIX, 38

 

17 or 18 AD - Legio III Augusta during the war with Tacfarinas in Africa - Suetonius Life of Augustus 24, Tacitus Annals III, 21

 

69 AD - Galba during the Year of the Four Emperors - Tacitus Histories 1, 37, Suetonius: Galba 12

 

Feel free to add the Imperial period... notable incidents off the top of my head would be Maximian and the Theban legion circa AD 286.

Thank you Primus for answering my question.

 

Starvation aye, thats really another horrible way to go since your body is pretty much feeding on itself to stay alive.

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Didn't Caesar once amputate the hands of all the warriors of an entire tribe in Gaul as a warning or lesson to other rebels ? It was a very harsh punishment and I'm wondering if any of you know the exact details of this particularly heinous act from the great general which would be classified as a 'military tactic' by historians.

 

He did this to the Townsfolk of Uxellodunum in 51BC after they refused to surrender to him and the town had to be carried by force (with reasonable diffuculty). This was to create a physical advertisement as to why you shouldn't oppose Caesar.

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My topic seems to have grown since I last stoped in.

 

This is most likely a over exageration, but I beleive that one of the worst punishments would have been one of Nero's concerts. He forced people to stay, if they left then the guards would kill them. It is rumoured that some people actually faked Dieing so that they could be released from the concert.

 

Pretty lousy musician anyways, But not all who own a musical instrument are musicians.

 

:o

 

P.S. Can't resist to use a quote when i can

 

 

It is also rumoured that people would jump off the Amphitheatre falling to their deaths to avoid his music. Also heard that women would give birth during the concerts as they were not allowed to leave

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