Watch: Punishing crimes in Ancient Rome
Watch this video to find out how crime was punished in Ancient Rome.
BELLS RING
DRUMS SOUND
Man: Stealing from the temple, eh? Seize him, but keep him alive. I want to take him to the magistrate.
Magistrate: What is he accused of?
Temple owner: This man was found to be stealing from my temple. We caught him trying to sneak out with the offerings to Jupiter. It’s all here in the temple records.
Magistrate: What do you have to say for yourself?
Man: I’m sorry, I just wanted to improve my family’s life. I had to leave the army due to my injuries.
Magistrate: But stealing from a temple is like stealing from the gods.
Temple owner: Give him the worst punishment possible. If news spreads that stealing from a temple gets a light punishment, they’ll all try it.
Magistrate: Your guilt is obvious. I sentence you to pay the temple three times the value of the stolen offerings.
Man: There’s no way I can afford that. I don’t have any money.
Magistrate: If you can’t afford the punishment then the only other option is death.
Man: No!
Magistrate: But which punishment? Pouring hot lead down your throat? No, that’s a waste of good metal. I sentence you to be pushed from a cliff.
Man: No!
How the Romans kept control
- At its height, under Emperor Trajan in 117AD, Rome ruled more than 45 million people in countries across Europe, North Africa and Asia.
- Its army was the most powerful in the world. As it conquered more countries, the city of Rome grew from a town into an enormous capital.
With over one million people living there, Rome was a dirty and dangerous place, with a maze of side-streets and slums.
There were many of the same crimes as today, such as murder and theft.
Did you know?
The Roman system of law and punishment is the basis of many laws that we still use today.
Wearing purple was against the law unless you were super rich!
Did the Romans have police?
There was no police force in Roman times but they did have a group called the Vigiles.
There were about 7000 Vigiles, who dealt with criminals.
If the Vigiles couldn't deal with some crimes, they would call in Roman guards to help.
The Praetorian Guard, were a special force who protected the Emperor.
The Roman God of Justice was called Justitia.
How did the Romans punish people?
- How you were punished depended on who you were in Roman society.
- Whipping and fines were the most common punishments.
- Wooden shoes were sometimes put on the feet of prisoners, so they could not run away.
- An enslaved person could be forced to carry a piece of wood around their neck.
- For very serious crimes you could be killed by crucifixion, thrown from a cliff, into a river or even buried alive.
Activities
Activity 1: Roman crime quiz
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