Stoning in the Roman Mediterranean (103 bce - 418 ce)

This thesis explores the practice of stoning in the Roman Mediterranean from 103 BCE to 418 CE, a span of time when Rome exercised widespread control over the ancient Mediterranean. Using a range of sources from histories and religious writings to legal codices, the thesis focuses on stoning among Romans and ethnic Jews and Greeks. Moreover, the work is grounded in modern sociological research on violence. Stoning in the Roman Mediterranean could be a punishment, a violent manifestation of social conflict, or as a dangerous political weapon.