In the military of ancient Rome, ''fustuarium'' ( Greek ξυλοκοπία, ''xylokopia''.) or ''fustuarium supplicium'' ("the punishment of cudgeling") was a severe form of

military discipline Military justice (also military law) is the legal system (bodies of law and procedure) that governs the conduct of the active-duty personnel of the armed forces of a country. In some nation-states, civil law and military law are distinct bodi ...

in which a soldier was

cudgel A club (also known as a cudgel, baton, bludgeon, truncheon, cosh, nightstick, or impact weapon) is a short staff or stick, usually made of wood, wielded as a weapon since prehistoric times. There are several examples of blunt-force trauma cause ...

ed to death. It is described by the Greek historian Polybius in a passage observing that Roman soldiers were motivated to stand fast and maintain their posts by the fear of harsh punishments such as public disgrace, flogging, and death. As a form of discipline imposed on a soldier, ''fustuarium'' thus reflected Roman doubts that courage alone was sufficient to ensure the steadfastness of the average soldier—an awareness that Julius Caesar shows in his war commentaries. ''Fustuarium'' was the penalty when a sentry deserted his post and for stealing from one's fellow soldiers in camp. A soldier who committed an act of theft ''( furtum)'' against civilians by contrast had his right hand cut off. The ''fustuarium'' was also the punishment for falsifying evidence and lying under oath, or for committing the same offence three times. It is sometimes thought that homosexuality incurred this punishment, but Polybius refers only to "adult men who have abused their persons". All the behaviors punishable by the ''fustuarium''—desertion, stealing, false witness, sexual misconduct and repeating three times a same offense—thus violate trust ''(

fides Fides or FIDES may refer to: *Faith, trust, loyalty, or fidelity, or a religious belief * Fides (cycling team), an Italian professional cycling team in 1961 *Fides (deity), goddess of trust in Roman mythology * Fides (reliability), guide allowing ...

)'' among fellow soldiers, and the cudgeling was administered communally. ''Fustuarium'' was inflicted on a single soldier who committed an offense, and thereby differs from '' decimatio'', when a unit that had

mutinied Mutiny is a revolt among a group of people (typically of a military, of a crew or of a crew of pirates) to oppose, change, or overthrow an organization to which they were previously loyal. The term is commonly used for a rebellion among members ...

or disgraced itself by cowardice was compelled to randomly select every tenth man and stone, club or stab him to death by their own hands. The distinction between ''fustuarium'' and ''decimatio'', however, may be illusory and is difficult to discern in passing references by literary sources. ''Fustuarium'' is a strikingly archaic form of punishment at odds with Roman legal practice in the historical era; stoning was also alien to the Romans, except in a military setting, perhaps suggesting the conservatism of martial tradition. ''Fustuarium'' may have originated as a religious rite of purification by means of which the unit purged itself through something like a

scapegoat In the Bible, a scapegoat is one of a pair of kid goats that is released into the wilderness, taking with it all sins and impurities, while the other is sacrificed. The concept first appears in the Book of Leviticus, in which a goat is designa ...

or '' pharmakos'' ritual. Germanicus, for instance, permitted mutinous soldiers to butcher their leaders to clear themselves of their guilt. ''Fustuarium'' in combination with ''decimatio'' is relatively rare in the historical record. Incidents include Marcus Crassus, punishing forces defeated by Spartacus early in his command of the war; Apronius,

deserters Desertion is the abandonment of a military duty or post without permission (a pass, liberty or leave) and is done with the intention of not returning. This contrasts with unauthorized absence (UA) or absence without leave (AWOL ), which a ...

against

Tacfarinas Tacfarinas ( Latinised form of Berber Tikfarin or Takfarin; died AD 24) was a Numidian Berber from Thagaste, located in the province of Proconsular Africa (now Souk Ahras, in Algeria), who was a deserter from the Roman army who led his own Mus ...

; and four occasions during the civil wars between 49 and 34 BC.As listed by Lintott, ''Violence'', p. 42, with citations of ancient sources.

References

{{Italic title Corporal punishments Execution methods Ancient Roman military punishments

See also

References