Laureolus

Laureolus (died before AD 41) was a purported runaway slave, highwayman, and bandit leader of the Roman Empire who was noted for his ability to evade authorities. According to the poet Martial in his Book of Spectacles, Laureolus was captured, crucified, and condemned to damnatio ad bestias.

Laureolus-mime In or before the first century AD, a Roman mimographer named Catullus wrote a play titled Laureolus, based on the historical individual. In its final act, the man playing Laureolus would be swapped out with a criminal, who was then crucified and condemned to beasts before the audience. This play was one of the most popular in Rome until at least the second century.

The earliest known instance of the play took place on the morning of Caligula's assassination in AD 41.

The Classical Association of the Middle West and South has interpreted the play's longevity as having been a means to discourage insubordination among the Roman population. They also suggested that Laureolus may have had a "stature as a folk hero to the disenfranchised in Roman society".