Bestiarii

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Relief of bestiarii and animals (cast from EUR Museum), by kind permission of the VRoma Project.

Among Ancient Romans, bestiarii were those who went into combat with beasts, or were exposed to them. It is conventional ^[1] to distinguish two categories of bestiarii: the first were those condemned to death by the beasts and the second were those who faced them voluntarily.

1 As a form of execution
2 Voluntary combat
3 References
4 See also

[edit] As a form of execution

As a means of torturous capital punishment, death by wild beasts was a punishment for enemies of the state, a category which included those taken prisoner and slaves found guilty of a serious crime. These were sent to their deaths naked and unable to defend themselves against the beasts. Even if they succeeded in killing one, fresh animals were continually let loose on them, until the bestiarii were all dead. It is reported that it was seldom necessary for two beasts to be required to take down one man. On the contrary, one beast frequently dispatched several men. Cicero mentions a single lion which alone dispatched 200 bestiarii.^[1]

Among others, those early Christians who were sentenced to death by the beasts, would have been bestiarii of this kind. These included some who were Roman citizens and who, in theory, should have been exempt.^[1]

[edit] Voluntary combat

These bestiarii, Seneca observed,^[1] consisted of young men who, to become expert in managing their arms, fought sometimes against beasts, and sometimes against one another; and of bravados who, to show their courage and dexterity, exposed themselves to this dangerous combat. Augustus encouraged this practice in young men of the first rank. Nero exposed himself to it; and it was for killing beasts in the amphitheatre that Commodus acquired the title of the Roman Hercules.^[1]

Vigenere adds two more types of bestiarii: the first were those who made a trade of it, and fought for money. It appears that there were schools in Rome, in which people were trained to fight with wild beasts (scholae bestiarum, or bestiariorum; Tertull. Apol. 35). The second type was where several armed bestiarii were let loose at once against a number of beasts.^[1]

[edit] References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Public domain sources:
- This article incorporates content from the 1728 Cyclopaedia, a publication in the public domain. [1]
- William Smith, "Bestiarii" from A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities, John Murray: London, 1875.