The Martyrdom of Telemachus

January 1, 404 - It was a raucous New Year’s Day in the early 4th century, when a peace-seeking monk stepped into the Roman Colosseum. Telemachus was trying to stop the gladiators from killing each other. Legend has it that the blood-thirsty crowd went nuts and stoned the pacifist to death. In other accounts, it was the gladiators who finished him off.

The grisly martyrdom of Telemachus may have helped turn the tide of public opinion about gladiatorial events. The Christian Emperor Honorius banned the practice that same year.