In ancient Rome, a rapist had his testicles crushed with two stones. In ancient Rome, rape – unless it was committed by the rulers – was punished severely. The victim was given a hammer and a stick, and with the help of these devices, it could beat his tormentor at will. The punishment for rape ended with particular cruelty at the hands of the executioner, who strangled the already beaten rapist with his own hands. Emperor Macrinus, for the rape of a maidservant by two soldiers, applied an unprecedented punishment to them: he ordered the criminals to be sewn into the ripped bellies of the bulls so that only their heads stick out.
At first, both rapists were fine and even talked to each other, but after two days they died in agony from blood poisoning, amid unimaginable stench. Not all criminal acts were punished with the same severity. The Roman Emperor Tiberius was known for his inclinations to violence and rape. When he wanted the daughter of one of the patricians, her mother suggested that he settle for her instead of the child. When the woman managed to escape from the sadist’s palace after a few days, in a suicidal act, overwhelmed by the acts of violence committed against her by the crowned criminal, she threw herself from the rock.
Caligula also had countless rapes on his conscience. At feasts and parties (which often lasted for several days and nights at that time), he used to go out many times with a woman of his choice, usually the wife of one of his fellow guests. None of the highborn ever stood up to him, and one of them – Piso – the emperor not only raped his wife during their wedding feast but also took the place of the groom himself and kept the bride in his palace. After a few months, he got bored with her company and sent her severely beaten by her would-be spouse.
