Imprisonment and War in Ancient Rome
In Ancient Rome the punishments were severe, most prisoners of war were put in slavery. Slaves sometimes had to fight as gladiators. These bloody and often deadly fights, held in arenas like the Coliseum, resulted in the fame of one gladiator, and the injury (or death) of another. Although some people were gladiators for fame and fortune, the majority of them were slaves. This humiliating and unmoral punishment wasn't alien in any way to the Romans. You could get in to the arena free, courtesy of the Roman government. Although many of the things that the Roman's did were barbaric and unjust, they were also geniuses of warfare, to quote David White, "Rome's neighbors both had things the Romans wanted and wanted things the Romans had. This resulted in many wars." When the Roman's wanted something, they got it. Their military power was next to unstoppable. Julius Caesar, one of the most highly renowned army leaders there have ever been was killed by his supposed best friend. That goes to show how desperate everyone was for power.
The Romans may have had bloodthirsty punishments, but their military made that look like nothing after comparing it with the way they massacred towns. They rampaged town, cutting civilian's heads off and keeping them as souvenirs. This happened to the Druids, and it was also how Rome conquered England. Even though these actions seem very uncivilized, Rome was a very advanced culture. This was a way to ensure that people stayed in line.
In Rome they didn't have the sort of prisons we do today. Richer offenders would just have to stay in their homes, until the trial. The problem with this system is that the poorer people would usually find their 'justice' fatal. People were only thrown into prison if they were found guilty. You weren't sent there to learn from your mistakes- You were sent there to die.
In 494 BCE the plebeians (common people) went on strike, and the battle lasted until 350 BCE when plebeians were allowed to become part of the ruling class. This was affected by the weapons the Roman's used because if the Roman's had made weapons out of unnatural materials, than the civil unrest would have been done much sooner, because the army would have all the weapons. It would not have been so lucky for the plebeians, and they wouldn't have gotten so many privileges. The Britannica says, "The growing power of the plebs was marked by the gradual rise of a new voting body, the comitia tributa, in which one man's vote counted as much as another's" Without this improvement our judicial system would most likely be quite different than the one we have now.
Although many of the things that the Roman's did were barbaric and unjust, they were also geniuses of warfare, to quote David White, "Rome's neighbors both had things the Romans wanted and wanted things the Romans had. This resulted in many wars." As a result of this the Roman's manages to conquer 1/5 of the population. But eventually Rome's population grew to large to control and it fell into chaos.
Sources...
-White, David. "An Introduction to Ancient Rome." Social Studies for Kids. 29 Jul 2003: n.p. SIRS Discoverer. Web. 19 Mar 2013.
-"Roman Empire." Compton's by Britannica. 01 Aug 2011: n.p. SIRS Discoverer. Web. 19 Mar 2013
-Kowalski, Kathiann M. "Rome Rules!." YES Mag: Canada's Science Magazine for Kids (Victoria, Canada) Issue No. 67. Nov/Dec 2008: 14-15. SIRS Discoverer. Web. 19 Mar 2013
The Romans may have had bloodthirsty punishments, but their military made that look like nothing after comparing it with the way they massacred towns. They rampaged town, cutting civilian's heads off and keeping them as souvenirs. This happened to the Druids, and it was also how Rome conquered England. Even though these actions seem very uncivilized, Rome was a very advanced culture. This was a way to ensure that people stayed in line.
In Rome they didn't have the sort of prisons we do today. Richer offenders would just have to stay in their homes, until the trial. The problem with this system is that the poorer people would usually find their 'justice' fatal. People were only thrown into prison if they were found guilty. You weren't sent there to learn from your mistakes- You were sent there to die.
In 494 BCE the plebeians (common people) went on strike, and the battle lasted until 350 BCE when plebeians were allowed to become part of the ruling class. This was affected by the weapons the Roman's used because if the Roman's had made weapons out of unnatural materials, than the civil unrest would have been done much sooner, because the army would have all the weapons. It would not have been so lucky for the plebeians, and they wouldn't have gotten so many privileges. The Britannica says, "The growing power of the plebs was marked by the gradual rise of a new voting body, the comitia tributa, in which one man's vote counted as much as another's" Without this improvement our judicial system would most likely be quite different than the one we have now.
Although many of the things that the Roman's did were barbaric and unjust, they were also geniuses of warfare, to quote David White, "Rome's neighbors both had things the Romans wanted and wanted things the Romans had. This resulted in many wars." As a result of this the Roman's manages to conquer 1/5 of the population. But eventually Rome's population grew to large to control and it fell into chaos.
Sources...
-White, David. "An Introduction to Ancient Rome." Social Studies for Kids. 29 Jul 2003: n.p. SIRS Discoverer. Web. 19 Mar 2013.
-"Roman Empire." Compton's by Britannica. 01 Aug 2011: n.p. SIRS Discoverer. Web. 19 Mar 2013
-Kowalski, Kathiann M. "Rome Rules!." YES Mag: Canada's Science Magazine for Kids (Victoria, Canada) Issue No. 67. Nov/Dec 2008: 14-15. SIRS Discoverer. Web. 19 Mar 2013