The Romans didn't just execute criminals. They were made to reenact mythology.
The noxii , the lowest class of arena condemned, weren't just killed. A man would be dressed as Orpheus and torn apart by bears while the crowd watched scenes from the Underworld play out in real time. Another would play Icarus and be thrown from a great height.
They weren't seen as people. They were props in a story.
The Romans considered this civilization. Order. Justice. The proper punishment of those who had broken the social contract.They built aqueducts, roads, and legal systems we still echo today, but they also packed a lunch and watched men die for sport.
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