Explanation: Decimation was a military punishment in the Roman Empire, used primarily in the days of the Republic, and even then only rarely. In the case of extreme cowardice or mutiny of an entire unit, the unit would be condemned to decimation - in which they would be split into groups of 10 men, and draw lots or straws. The one who drew the shortest straw was then condemned to be beaten to death by the other 9. This was seen, to the Romans, both as a punishment and a redemption, as by participating as executors, the surviving soldiers are punished, but also are resubmitting to military discipline and enforcing it in the unit.
It was considered, even by Roman standards, to be a very harsh punishment, and only a handful of examples of the punishment are known to have been carried out, and each time it was considered a major and shocking event.
The past is very often a brutal place! We live in deeply imperfect times in the modern day, and should not be satisfied with the flaws our societies have now, but it’s good to reflect every once in a while how far we’ve come.
Order a chicken next time you go out to eat and pretend you’re King Richard the Lionheart about to be captured for eating too good while undercover.
Chicken was a not-uncommon meat for commoners, but still expensive enough so that if some traveler (who SHOULD be saving their money carefully) comes into a local tavern which wasn’t planned on cooking any chickens today and says “Slaughter me, and me specifically, a chicken”, he’s clearly got money to spare.
Funny enough, Decimus means something similar - ‘Tenth’. A lot of Roman praenomina (first names) were like that. Primus, Secundus, Tertius, Quartus, Quintus, Sextus, Septimus, Octavius, Nonus, Decimus. First through tenth! Not the most creative fellows, the Romans.
In their defense, birth order rarely correlated with their name - Decimus could just as easily be a firstborn child, or the fifth son.
Well, at least you don’t have a Primus in every family that way!
Or, in other words, TIL Romans were bad at counting.
lmao, there are other examples of Roman weirdness with numbers. For most of the Republic period, the year was expressed not by a number, but by which two consuls were elected that year. Ab Urbe Condita (AUC, ‘From the founding of the city’) was much more rare. “Draw 25 or use numbers like normal human beings.”
I know about the way Romans counted time. Isn’t also in the Bible, the year Jesus was born given as the year x of the reign of Augustus? Later, the pope who established the AD counting had lots of struggle summing up all the years of the emperors without counting some years twice.
Yep! In the Empire, there were often numerous consuls in a year instead of just two (being rotated out as a kind of ‘gift’ from the Emperor) so the norm for counting the year changed to how many years since the ruling Emperor came into power.
Funny how some things we take for granted, like an unborked date system, are actually innovations, and far from timeless (ha).
Explanation: Decimation was a military punishment in the Roman Empire, used primarily in the days of the Republic, and even then only rarely. In the case of extreme cowardice or mutiny of an entire unit, the unit would be condemned to decimation - in which they would be split into groups of 10 men, and draw lots or straws. The one who drew the shortest straw was then condemned to be beaten to death by the other 9. This was seen, to the Romans, both as a punishment and a redemption, as by participating as executors, the surviving soldiers are punished, but also are resubmitting to military discipline and enforcing it in the unit.
It was considered, even by Roman standards, to be a very harsh punishment, and only a handful of examples of the punishment are known to have been carried out, and each time it was considered a major and shocking event.
Holy shit that’s brutal. Makes being killed by a firing squad or hung (broken neck variation) sound “humane”.
Interesting as well, as well … disgusting! I’m glad, that I wasn’t born into that era.
The past is very often a brutal place! We live in deeply imperfect times in the modern day, and should not be satisfied with the flaws our societies have now, but it’s good to reflect every once in a while how far we’ve come.
Many of us live like the kings of the medieval era. Only the other day I cleaned my arse with a goose.
I have no idea what to do with this comment.
Order a chicken next time you go out to eat and pretend you’re King Richard the Lionheart about to be captured for eating too good while undercover.
Chicken was a not-uncommon meat for commoners, but still expensive enough so that if some traveler (who SHOULD be saving their money carefully) comes into a local tavern which wasn’t planned on cooking any chickens today and says “Slaughter me, and me specifically, a chicken”, he’s clearly got money to spare.
Was the goose upset?
True (even though some try with all their might to turn back to the “great old times”).
Make SPQR Magna Again!
Get out of here Caligula
Combover Caligula
God-damn, as an American, that just killed the humor vibe right there. :(
Don’t worry, Caligula didn’t win in the end.
Yes, but everybody lost :(
I thought maybe his name was Decimus.
Funny enough, Decimus means something similar - ‘Tenth’. A lot of Roman praenomina (first names) were like that. Primus, Secundus, Tertius, Quartus, Quintus, Sextus, Septimus, Octavius, Nonus, Decimus. First through tenth! Not the most creative fellows, the Romans.
In their defense, birth order rarely correlated with their name - Decimus could just as easily be a firstborn child, or the fifth son.
This is something, I find more weird than defending. Or, in other words, TIL Romans were bad at counting.
Of course they were. I give you proof they’re even worse at math. Tell me quick, how much is
CMDIV + CCDDVIII
You actually needed to be ‘very good’ at math to fluently calculate with Roman numbers. However, I can’t make sense of your examples.
Well, at least you don’t have a Primus in every family that way!
lmao, there are other examples of Roman weirdness with numbers. For most of the Republic period, the year was expressed not by a number, but by which two consuls were elected that year. Ab Urbe Condita (AUC, ‘From the founding of the city’) was much more rare. “Draw 25 or use numbers like normal human beings.”
I know about the way Romans counted time. Isn’t also in the Bible, the year Jesus was born given as the year x of the reign of Augustus? Later, the pope who established the AD counting had lots of struggle summing up all the years of the emperors without counting some years twice.
No, it isn’t. Descriptions of when he was born are vague and contradictory.
Indeed, e.g. the text of the Lukas Evangelium isn’t that precise as I’ve thought I remember it.
Yep! In the Empire, there were often numerous consuls in a year instead of just two (being rotated out as a kind of ‘gift’ from the Emperor) so the norm for counting the year changed to how many years since the ruling Emperor came into power.
Funny how some things we take for granted, like an unborked date system, are actually innovations, and far from timeless (ha).
TY, I didn’t know, there were still consules in the Roman Empire.
Yes, a continuous calendar system makes things a lot easier.
Wait till Biggus Dickus hears of this