A Real Life Murder Investigation in Ancient Rome Documentary

In the criminal justice system, plebeian-based offenses are considered especially heinous. In Rome, the dedicated detectives who investigate these vicious felonies are members of an elite squad known as the Plebeian Victims Unit. These are their stories. Choking aside, today we'll be taking a look at a real, fascinating murder story recorded in Roman history worthy of its own TV episode. But before we get started, I wanted to thank our sponsor, Surfshark VPN. They've got your back when it comes to the dangers of the internet like surveillance, data mining, theft, and locked content. In addition to top-of-the-line industry offerings, Surfshark VPN's awesome features also include Multihop, which lets you connect using two different servers for increased security, Whitelister, which allows apps or sites of your choosing to bypass the VPN for things like banking, CleanWeb, which blocks malware, trackers, phishing, and ads, Killswitch, which protects against accidental exposure if the server connection gets interrupted, and NoBordersMode, which maximizes your access in the most restrictive of regions. In addition, Surfshark VPN has very generous user terms with unlimited devices, 24-7 customer support, and a 30-day money-back guarantee. Try it today by clicking the link in the description below and using the promo code INVICTA to get 85% off plus 3 extra months for According to Dostoyevsky, any man who has a conscience suffers while acknowledging his sin. Our story begins with one such man, a slave, whose heart skipped a beat when the imperial officers came knocking. He lived in Naidos, a small town on the coast of Anatolia known only for having a port and a small medical school. According to our records, it was a notoriously peaceful place, as towns go, with its citizens actively avoiding conflict by whatever means possible. The Roman government, appreciative of the fact, generally steered clear of any interference. But one night, the body of a young man, who had been named Eubulus, son of Chrysippus, was found, killed, on the streets. Rumors arose, and his rival, also named Eubulus, son of Anaxandritus, was quickly accused of the deed. The body had been found outside the rival's home, a coincidence that was too much to handle. Anaxandritus' family, despite their denials of having any involvement, were immediately seen as the murderers. A mob quickly formed outside their house, and eventually had their justice, killing the second Eubulus. Despite this act of mob justice, the town was still on the verge of exploding. Something needed to be done. So the people, seeking true justice against the entire family of Anaxandritus, who had barricaded themselves indoors, sought outside help. As we discussed in our episode on keeping the peace in the provinces, such local matters were typically dealt with by Aranarchs or other low-level officials. Matters of sufficient importance could be escalated to the provincial governor. In this case, that meant the governor of Asia, whose court was located in the city of Ephesus, only a short distance away. However, the inhabitants of the sleepy town of Knidos felt their crisis needed the attention of an even higher authority. They wanted to speak to the big man in charge. A spokesman simply wouldn't cut it. The decision was thus made, to bring their murder case to the emperor of Rome himself. The delegation from Knidos was composed of two prominent locals, Dionysius and Dionysius, both sons of Dionysius. Yeah, they weren't too imaginative with names. The two and their entourage boarded a ship and set sail to the west. Stopping over at one or more islands in the Aegean, they would have made it to the southern tip of Greece, or perhaps through the Isthmus of Corinth in a few days. From here, they would have stopped briefly, before making the three-to-four-day crossing to the Straits of Messana, riding a favorable wind. At this point, they likely stopped at the major port of Regium to buy provisions, trade, and exchange news. But important matters were at hand, and they were surely eager to carry on with their mission. The delegation would thus have made haste to travel for another four to five days up the coast of Italy. Once at the port of Ostia, they could have advanced a short day further inland by navigating a series of waterways and roads up to the city of Rome itself. Here, they once again spent time to provision, rest, and wait patiently for their summons. It is unclear how long this took. Usually, such things were arranged in advance through legal intermediaries, and given the slow nature of ancient travel and communication, it is likely they would have had at least a week or two of limbo with which to absorb the sights of the great city. At this point, perhaps about a month would have elapsed since the time of their initial departure. Finally, one morning, a messenger arrived bearing great news. The emperor would see them now. The delegation hurried through the busy streets, and likely joined a queue of other petitioners. Their nervousness surely increased as the hours rolled by and the line grew shorter. Eventually, it was their turn. Overcome with awe, the small-town officials presented their case before Caesar Augustus, emperor of the known world. They explained that Eubulus, son of Anaxandritus, had, with the implicit or explicit approval of his family, murdered his rival Eubulus, son of Chrysippus, in cold blood, leaving the body on the street as a warning to all who might disagree with him. Augustus was perturbed at the news. This was a small town not known for its disturbances. While this could be a teenage quarrel, could it also be an indication of something more? A thorough investigation of this murder was necessary to calm the unrest, and he knew just the man for the job. He had a contact, Acinius Gallus, whom he trusted deeply. In fact, this bond was so strong that Augustus had actually allowed him to marry the daughter of his closest friend. Augustus even ignored Gallus' many extramarital affairs, instead appreciating him for his skills and discretion. The case now had its investigator. Some time again would have passed for Augustus to summon Gallus. As a man of much import, he had many arrangements to make before taking off, though of course he could not linger too long when following the commands of the emperor. Eventually, Gallus was sent to Nidus with the Dionysius brothers, who now retraced the steps of their previous journey. Perhaps they did so in greater style now that an imperial delegate was aboard. After at least another two or three weeks, they had made it back, and not a moment too soon. The mob, hearing that a man with true imperial authority had arrived to handle the situation, quickly turned over their efforts to Gallus. Just as with any investigator today, his first order of business was to acquire witnesses. Who might have seen the crime, what did people on both sides say, and what was happening in the area over the course of the night? The inspector began by taking statements from each of the families. However, these proved relatively inconclusive. After all, there was a blood feud simmering and both sides vehemently blamed each other. The inspector must look elsewhere for his leads. Drawing on his experience in Rome, this meant turning to the true eyes and ears of Adomus, its slaves. This was especially true in wealthy estates, which teamed with servants who tended to every need of the property. Unfortunately, such witnesses were also considered to be untrustworthy. After all, slaves would tell any story that they had been commanded to by their masters. There was only one way to ensure that they were telling the truth. So Gallus did the sensible thing for a Roman investigator. He rounded up all of the household slaves of Anaxandritus, and despite pleas from the family for gentle treatment, promptly tortured them for information. Something which they had refused to allow anyone else in the town to carry out. These slaves, after being subjected to unimaginable horrors, spilled the whole story of the fateful night to the ruthless investigator. Gallus nodded and let them go back to their home to receive treatment for their wounds and rejoin the household. He had the information he needed. Without saying a word to anyone in town, Gallus then commandeered the next ship leaving port. The two to three weeks back to Rome gave him ample time to complete his report, to arrange all the testimonies of the accusers and the defendants, and to give his final recommendation to Augustus Caesar. A little over a month after Gallus had left, a ship arrived in harbor bearing a message with the seal of Caesar to be read aloud in the center of town. The final judgment was contained within, as well as meticulous copies of all of the interrogation records, the originals of which had remained safely in Rome. Clearing his throat, the herald began his oration. He described how it had come out during the discovery process that it was actually the brother of Eubulus named Philanios, son of Chrysepos, who had been assaulting the house of Anaxandritus nightly, breaking windows, defacing the doors and walls, and causing enough ruckus to wake the dead. The inhabitants were understandably driven to their wit's end, and so, night after night, they begged Philanios and his family to cease his provocations. None of these worked, and Philanios invited his brother, Eubulus, to join in the torment soon after. Even after Anaxandritus attempted to barricade the road to keep the miscreants out, they continued their attacks. Finally, the family of Anaxandritus ordered one of their household slaves to drive Philanios and his brother off with the greatest of deterrence. Not to injure the youth in any way, but to empty the family chamberpots onto their heads. The slave did as he was told, and, unsure which teenager was which in the night, just aimed for the closest head. A bucket full of exorament landed on Eubulus. Horrified at the filth that covered him, the boy scrambled to get away but slipped on the wet paving stones. At the same time, the slave who was trying to aim these chamberpots lost his grips in the process. The resulting accident sent the chamberpot hurtling down onto Eubulus' skull, killing him instantly. His brother, both horrified at the scene and the stench, fled to his family home, telling them about the horrid murder of his brother. The family of Chrysepos had quickly spun the narrative out of control to whip up the mob, and Anaxandritus' son was murdered in the ensuing riot. Caesar ended his letter by chastising the town, conveying his disappointment in their judgment, and his disgust at the petty idiocy which had grown over a dispute between teenagers. The one who had begun these issues had even made it out of the situation without any consequences, a point which the emperor emphasized, saying it would have been more just for Phrylanos to have been killed. His judgment was not only for the town to knock it off with the feuding, but also to include a full description, along with the interrogation documents of the affair, in their public records, so that they might have precedent if this were to happen again. The town followed his instructions to the letter. While no records survive about what happened to each of these families in the aftermath, Nidos, awed by being directly acknowledged by a man with power that was essentially divine compared to their small town, spared no expense to preserve the communication with Augustus. They carved the letter into a marble steel, which was set up in the center of town as a reminder to its residents of both imperial power and the dangers of jumping to conclusions. You can find the contents of this letter preserved today and read it for yourself. I hope you've enjoyed this fascinating and dramatic look at how justice was carried out in the Roman world. A huge thanks is owed to our patrons for funding this episode. Please, consider contributing to get previews of future content and downloads of the amazing art from each episode. If you enjoyed this content, be sure to like and subscribe for more history, and check out these other videos about our fascinating past. See you in the next one!