[quote=@Karos]
He's a Roman soldier, I really wouldn't put it past him, they've done far worse.
[/quote]

This is pretty accurate as we aren't in the modern era. There is no geneva convention or rules of war. If you don't burn their city, salt the earth, and utterly destroy their culture first, they'll do the same to you in a heartbeat. Given, submission rather than destruction was common, but not always.