Condemnation to the mines
Condemnation to the mines (Latin: Ad metalla, "to the mines") was a punishment that was most notably applied to senior Christian figures in the early Christian period in the Roman Empire,[1] when it was called "Damnatio ad metalla".[2] It was also applied to slaves, war captives and criminals.[3] Both Tertullian and Cyprian described it as a type of prolonged killing.[4]
Notable figures who were punished with condemnation to the mines:
- Pope Pontian (Saint) Died in 235, condemned to mines in Sardinia[5]
- Silvanus of Gaza (Bishop of Gaza) condemned to the copper mines of Phaeno[6]
- Saints Peleus and Nilus, condemned to the copper mines of Phaeno[7]
References
- ^ https://carolashby.com/crime-and-punishment-in-the-roman-empire
- ^ https://carolashby.com/crime-and-punishment-in-the-roman-empire
- ^ https://library.biblicalarchaeology.org/article/condemned-to-the-mines
- ^ Beggio, Tommaso (2017). "Note in tema di condanna 'ad tempus' nelle 'damnationes ad metalla'" (PDF). Annali del Seminario Giuridico (in Italian). LX. Turin: G. Giappichelli Editore: 26. ISSN 1972-8441. Retrieved 22 May 2022.
Tertullian […] describes the state of desperation in which these men found themselves […] equally intense and crude are Cyprian's depictions […] The testimonies of these two authors, moreover, confirm how damnatio ad metalla represented the typical punishment imposed on Christians […] damnatio ad metalla was equated with prolonged death
- ^ https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/12229b.htm
- ^ https://www.oca.org/saints/lives/2019/10/14/102970-hieromartyr-silvanus-of-gaza
- ^ https://portal.sds.ox.ac.uk/articles/online_resource/E00384_Eusebius_Martyrs_of_Palestine_includes_the_story_of_Peleus_Neilos_Patermouthios_and_Elias_martyrs_of_Palestine_S00197_Written_in_311_in_Caesarea_Palestine_written_in_Greek_but_parts_of_the_text_survive_only_in_Syriac_/13745770