Ritualized Killing Practices of Ancient Rome: Addressing the Anxieties of Death

Undergraduate Honors Thesis

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Citeable URL: https://scholar.colorado.edu/concern/undergraduate_honors_theses/zc77sr65r

Abstract

This thesis will discuss the various ways in which Romans engaged with executions and death. It will demonstrate executions as tools by which Roman society exacted various goals. It will explain the necessity of ritual, symbolism, and metaphor in the establishment of broad social messaging. To accomplish this, this paper will divide executions into the Spectacular and the Quiet and explain how the two use different means to achieve the same end: alleviating anxieties around executions. The theories of Giorgio Agamben will be applied to the concept of state power and Quiet Executions to explain instances in which that power is withdrawn. Hannah Arendt and Max Weber’s concepts of violence as it is used by states will be applied to various Spectacular Executions and discuss the relationship between power and violence in Roman society.

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