tailieunhanh - Animals, Gods and Humans - Chapter 9

Damnatio ad bestias In the Roman Empire, the sentencing of humans to the beasts – damnatio ad bestias – was a punishment for severe crimes and not open to pardon (Ville 1981: 235–40).1 It implied being killed by animals in the arena and was a most shameful way to die, a punishment normally not imposed on Roman citizens. | 9 FIGHTING THE BEASTS Damnatio ad bestias In the Roman Empire the sentencing of humans to the beasts damnatio ad bestias was a punishment for severe crimes and not open to pardon Ville 1981 235 40 .1 It implied being killed by animals in the arena and was a most shameful way to die a punishment normally not imposed on Roman It was also a penalty that was expensive and required a considerable amount of planning. Such killings were staged in the amphitheatres of the great cities at the celebration of feasts and for the general amusement of the spectators. The killing of humans by means of beasts was usually staged in the morning as part of a venatio while ordinary executions were shown in the intermission between the morning programme and that in the evening In the morning they throw men to the lions and the bears at noon they throw them to the spectators wrote Seneca Epistle . Humans being killed by animals together with arena performances such as gladiatorial fights killing of animals fights between animals chariot races athletic competitions and theatrical performances were part of the mass entertainment of antiquity viewed by virtually everyone even if not everyone appreciated it Cicero for instance asked rhetorically what pleasure it can afford a man of culture when either a weak human being is mangled by a most powerful beast or a splendid beast is transfixed with a hunting spear Letters to his Friends . Classical authors mention the damnatio ad bestias sporadically and scenes in which humans are killed by beasts in the arena are often found in mosaics especially those from North Africa. Through these mosaics we get a sort of commentary on this type of killing. But even if to be attacked killed torn to pieces and sometimes eaten by wild animals is a terrible way to die depictions of such scenes do not seem to have been thought of as especially revolting by the Romans who sometimes used them to decorate their dining We must conclude

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