Ancient Roman key depicts lion devouring barbarian




Aug 12, 2021

Archaeologists in the United Kingdom have discovered an ancient Roman key handle that depicts a grisly scene — a lion devouring a shaggy-haired barbarian, while four spooked cupid-like youths look on, likely awaiting the same fate, a new study reports.

The macabre bronze handle may have mirrored a real-life event, meaning it was likely “created to mark a significant occasion, an episode in which captives [were] killed in the arena by lions,” study first author John Pearce, a senior lecturer of archaeology at King’s College London, told Live Science in an email.

The expertly crafted figurine depicted on the handle is “best interpreted as a scene of damnatio ad bestias,” a Latin phrase that describes the “killing of captives and criminals as punishment and spectacle,” the researchers wrote in the study.

https://www.livescience.com/roman-ke...barbarian.html