Prisoners...

[-Praetor-]

Are there any historical records regarding prisoners being released by the victor to the defeated or being ransomed back?

IIRC, the italian (non-roman) prisoners at Cannae were released by Hannibal.

Romans at iberia had a nasty habit of cutting the right hand to the released prisoners, not for pious reasons the lusitanians did (the lusitanians cutted the right hand to prisoners, and consecrated it to their god Cariocecus), but to avoid them to take arms agains the SPQR again.

EDIT: Abokasee, nice to have you back.