Merena

Spahbod Merena was a commander of the Sassanid Empire during the reign of Shapur II during the 4th century's Roman-Persian Wars. He is noted for commanding the Sassanid army at the Battle of Ctesiphon in 363, which took place across the River Tigris, outside the Sassanid capital Ctesiphon in what is now modern-day Iraq. After killing his enemies he was said to have sacrificed blood to the Egyptian gods. When his men found out about his secret religious beliefs, they poured blood all over his nude body, and threw him in with the starving dogs. This was discovered but none of the men involved were executed for their crimes.

References

•  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.