A Fatal Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum: Murder in Ancient Rome

by Emma Southon

The sacred chickens were a Big Deal in Roman religious practice, a way of hearing the desires of the gods, and decisions were made based on when and how they ate. So Publius asked the chickens, ‘Should we go into this battle? Will we win?’ and waited for the chickens to eat their food in the correct way to give him the green light. Unfortunately for him, the chickens were on a boat and absolutely not in the mood. Or, the gods were sending a message. Either way, the chickens would not eat. No matter how much the consul wanted them to, or how badly he wanted to attack the waiting Carthaginian navy. So Publius, in a fit of sacrilegious rage, wanged the chickens into the sea, screaming, ‘If they won’t eat, let them drink,’ and stormed headfirst into a catastrophic defeat, losing 93 of his 123 ships.