Damnatio ad bestias

Damnatio ad bestias (Latin for "condemnation to beasts") was a form of Roman capital punishment where the condemned person was killed by wild animals, usually lions or other big cats. This form of execution, which first appeared during the Roman Republic around the 2nd century BC, was part of a wider class of blood sports called Bestiarii.

Public damnatio ad bestias was considered a common form of entertainment especially for the lower class citizens of Rome (plebeians). Killings by wild animals formed part of the inaugural games of the Colosseum in AD 80. Between the 1st and 3rd centuries AD, this penalty was applied to the worst of criminals, runaway slaves, and Christians.

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