Poena Cullei: A Roman Torture of Unspeakable Horror...

Ahh, to be in Rome in the spring. Mild temperatures, bustling streets, blossom on the trees, and the screams of men being tied in sacks with snakes or roosters and then thrown into a nearby body of water...

I think you can tell that one of these things is not like the other. Rome truly is beautiful in the spring, but the city has witnessed incredible acts of brutality throughout its long history. Today’s video will focus on one of the most inventive and cruel punishments from the Roman empire – poena cullei.

00:00 Introduction
00:51 The What?!
01:29 The History
05:19 The Why
06:55 The Symbolism
10:35 The How Often
11:18 Modern Usage
12:31 Outro

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