Why decimation was the most unfair punishment in the Roman Army
Roman generals thought the best way to maintain discipline within the ranks was through a brutal and arbitrary act that left the survivors fearful
In order to keep the ruthless war machine that was the Roman army going, discipline was paramount. Penalising severe offences, such as desertion and mutiny, required a particularly brutal form of punishment – that was decimation.
What was the Roman punishment decimation?
Coming from the Latin for ‘removal of a tenth’, decimation involved the selection and execution of every tenth man in a group of soldiers.
What’s more, the man chosen would be put to death by his own comrades. This punished, deterred and restored order within the ranks in one vicious swoop.
Speaking on the HistoryExtra podcast, historian Adrian Goldsworthy addressed the common misconception that decimation indicated a near-apocalyptic event where most people would die. Indeed, that is how the word is generally used today.
Rather, says Goldsworthy, “decimation meant executing one in ten, not executing 90 per cent and leaving 10 per cent alive… it [was] not crippling as a rule.”
How did decimation work in practice?
The punishment of decimation began by rallying the troops, whereupon the military tribune would present the accused before a general. Following a public reprimand detailing the offences, the names of all the solders were placed into a receptacle, such as a helmet.
A certain number of names were drawn, often every tenth soldier, and the unlucky selectees would be executed. This grim lottery underscored the randomness of the punishment, and so instilled fear into the surviving soldiers.
“Punishment in the Roman world is seen as something that’s designed to be public, symbolic, to deter others,” says Goldsworthy.
“That’s why you throw people to the lions in the arenas – so they die slowly and unpleasantly and very visibly. The army worked under the same principle.”
The Roman army’s reputation as one of history’s most rigorously organised and trained military forces can be attributed, in part, to its disciplinary measures.
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What offences could lead to decimation?
Decimation was an extreme punishment for the most serious transgressions, such as cowardice, insubordination, desertion and mutiny.
The mere threat of decimation was designed to ensure that soldiers adhered to military discipline. They would come to understand that any misconduct could lead to severe consequences, regardless of rank or even role in the transgression, for themselves and for their comrades.
What is the earliest Roman account of decimation?
One of the earliest-known cases of decimation dates back to 471 BC. According to the Roman historian Livy, an army under the command of the consul Appius Claudius Sabinus Inregillensis retreated from the battlefield.
Outraged, he had the first deserters flogged and decapitated, then decimated every tenth man to serve as a stark warning.
What is the most famous use of decimation?
Perhaps the most famous instance occurred during the slave uprising led by gladiator-turned-slave Spartacus, known as the Third Servile War (73 to 71 BC).
After failing to crush the rebellion, the Roman general, Marcus Licinius Crassus, had his legions decimated.
Decades later, Mark Antony is also known to have given orders for his legions to be decimated.
Was decimation a common punishment?
Despite its effectiveness in inspiring fear and maintaining discipline, the use of decimation was not common practice.
The psychological toll on soldiers, forced to kill their comrades, would have tested morale.
When did decimation fall out of favour?
The last time decimation was used by the Romans occurred under Diocletian, who ruled as emperor from AD 284 to 305.
Following the Roman empire’s conversion to Christianity, the seeds of which were sown with the edict of Milan in AD 313, the punishment gradually declined as more humane ideas came into vogue.
Has decimation been used since the Romans?
The principle of randomly selecting wayward soldiers for execution has a long history in Europe. It was notably used by the Holy Roman Empire during the Thirty Years’ War (1618-48).
As recently as the 20th century, it was deployed by the French and Italian armies during the First World War. It has been said that the chief of staff of the Italian Army, General Luigi Cadorna, executed more than 750 men under his command for cowardice.
Another shocking example took place during the Finnish Civil War of 1918 when nationalist White Guards executed about 90 leftist Red Guard prisoners in Varkaus. This became commonly known as the ‘Lottery of Huruslahti’.
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Authors
Danny Bird is the Staff Writer at BBC History Magazine. Danny Bird is the Staff Writer at BBC History Magazine and previously held the same role on BBC History Revealed. He joined the brand in 2022. Fascinated with the past since childhood, Danny completed his History BA at the University of Sheffield, developing a special interest in the Spanish Civil War and the Paris Commune. He subsequently gained his History MA from University College London, studying at its School of Slavonic and East European Studies (SSEES)
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