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The first 100 people to go to are going to get unlimited access for 1 week to try it out. You’ll also get 25% off if you want the full membership. What was it like to go to prison in ancient Rome? In this history documentary we begin with an overview of how prisons were present since the earliest civilizations but did not function the same as today. Justice did not involve locking people up. Rather, justice was built around the idea of vengeance and the philosophy of “an eye for an eye“. In this context, prisons served merely as temporary holding cells while people awaited trial or their punishment. In ancient Rome we see this with the Mamertine prison which was built during the early monarchy. Consisting of a small dungeon, it never saw widespread use and was instead reserved for mostly high profile figures like war captives. Notable prisoners include Vercingetorix, Simon Gioras, and the Catiline Conspirators. During the late Republic however the dema
