The mane event: Key evidence the Roman Empire used lions for executions

An archaeological artifact discovered in Leicester, Britain may be evidence that the ancient Roman empire used lions to kill their captives.

The discovery, which was published in Britannia, was a bronze key handle that depicted a man locked in combat with a lion. Another piece of the same handle depicted four naked youths watching, which indicates that the scene may be a public execution.

The man battling the lion has long hair, a bushy beard and no shirt, which could mean that he is a barbarian. The scene would be a symbol of the futility of opposition against the Roman Empire.

 

"When first found, it appeared as an indistinguishable bronze object, but after we carefully cleaned off the soil, remarkably, we revealed several small faces looking back at us," said Dr Gavin Speed, an archaeologist and co-author of the article.

"Nothing quite like this has been discovered anywhere in the Roman Empire before."

"It illuminates the brutal character of the Roman authority in this province," added Dr. John Pearce, another co-author.

There are many documented cases in the Colosseum of criminals and prisoners of war being thrown to wild beasts as a form of execution, but this is the first evidence of such a practice spreading as far as Britain.

The lions would have been imported from North Africa and Mesopotamia.

"That was slightly worse than being condemned to the mines, which is the other way that prisoners often met their end," Said Nicholas Cooper, an archaeologist and the articles third author.