Ignatius of Antioch - A painting of a man and a woman in a landscape with lions

Damnatio ad bestias is a Latin phrase that translates into English as 'condemnation to the beasts'. It refers to a form of capital punishment in ancient Rome where criminals, prisoners or slaves were condemned to be killed by wild animals, typically in public spectacles held in arenas such as the Colosseum. The condemned person would be forced to face dangerous and predatory animals such as lions, bears or leopards in an often brutal and gruesome manner. The practice was used as a form of entertainment and punishment, both to entertain the spectators and to act as a deterrent to potential criminals.