“Damnatio ad bestias” were probably the three most feared Latin words in Roman times, and signaled a truly horrifying fate for those unlucky enough to be sentenced with this awful phrase. Literally meaning “condemnation to beasts”, this cruel and unusual punishment saw criminals ripped apart by wild animals for the entertainment of the general public.

Much of what we know about this barbaric execution method comes from the Roman poet Martial, who recounts numerous wildlife-facilitated annihilations in his book Liber Spectaculorum. Dedicated to the various shows held at Rome’s Colosseum, the book explains how criminals were cast as famous characters from Greek and Roman myths, with their deaths choreographed to re-enact these popular fables.

For example, Martial describes how a bandit named Laureolus was put to death while playing the role of Prometheus, the Greek god of fire who was sentenced to have his liver pecked by an eagle for all eternity. In Laureolus’s case, however, the bird was substituted for a bear which took far more than just his liver, leaving him with “mangled limbs” and “dripping with blood.”

In another repulsive case, Martial explains how a woman convicted of adultery was sentenced to re-enact the story of Pasiphae, who mated with a bull before giving birth to a hideous creature known as the Minotaur. Recreating this twisted legend, the poor woman was raped to death by a bull before the Colosseum's baying crowd.

Seeking an explanation for this depravity, scholars have suggested that damnatio ad bestias may have helped to uphold social norms. For instance, by executing a criminal in the role of Pasiphae, so too did the authorities condemn Pasiphae as a criminal for her sexual transgressions.

At the same time, the horrific spectacles served as a constant reminder of the protection provided by the Roman Empire from the dangers of the natural world. Those who broke the law, however, were stripped of their right to this protection and thrown back into the deadly wild – with the consequences evident for all to see.

The practice also helped the Roman authorities suppress the rise of Christianity, with converts making up a large proportion of those condemned. According to some reports, a Christian martyr named Saturus became so drenched in blood after being attacked by a leopard that the crowd mockingly celebrated his “baptism”.

Overall, it’s estimated that an incredible 400,000 people were condemned to beasts over a period of about 400 years, with lions and other big cats – imported from the farthest reaches of the Roman Empire – being the most common executioners. In one event, a single lion is said to have put 200 criminals out of their misery, while elephants, crocodiles and other dangerous creatures were sometimes invited to take part in these fatal performances too.