and public executions were very common punishments to severe and moderate crimes. If a human was charged with murdering another person in cold blood it was an automatic death penalty, the only question was how they would die. “A person might be set in an enclosure with a wild beast to be mauled to death from the animal.” (Grant, 416). The whole entire community as a form of entertainment would watch this horrible death. All of the tortures were somewhat barbaric and were nothing any Roman man or woman would want to endure. “The offender would be tied to a stake at his feet and tied to a chariot by his hands and pulled by the chariot until his body ripped in two.” (Stambaugh, 130). These gruesome punishments were not taken lightly; anyone who broke the law would be punished with these tortures in public to show the community what happens when you commit a crime.The laws of the Romans were constantly changing with new emperors, until the laws were finally laid out for people to see in 450 BC these laws were the laws of the land could not be broken in anyway. “First codified in 450 BC in the Twelve Tables, early Roman law was highly formalistic.” (Heer, 554). These Twelve Tables, written on stone tablets were the code of law for the entire empire. These laws were strictly followed by everybody in the land for many years until the Roman Empire expanded and needed to be changed, then a new code was added to help the existing one. “After 100 BC new principles, notably the jus honorarium, a body of magisterial law to supplement, aid, and correct existing law, were vigorously developed.” (Heer, 557) This made it possible for the laws to change with the community to better support the people of the Roman culture.The Roman Empire was filled with strict laws that, when broken were punished with inhuman torture or banishment from their home and family. The people of Rome knew of the laws and f...
