Crucifixion: the most terrible Roman execution that went down in history (7 photos)

Although the Romans did not invent it, but borrowed it from the eastern kings.





The Romans executed mercilessly and cruelly. During the heyday of the Empire, they sent people to the arena with wild animals. Sometimes they threw them off a cliff. But the most famous reprisal against the unwanted was Crucifixion, also known as Crucifixio.



The first mention of such a mass execution is in sources around 500 BC - then King Darius suppressed the uprising and crucified 6 thousand rebels. Alexander the Great distinguished himself in a similar way: after storming the rebellious Phoenician city of Tire, he nailed 3 thousand people to crosses.

The Romans also adopted crucifixion, but used it in exceptional cases - for crimes against the people and the fatherland. At the same time, it was not used against citizens of Rome. Here, the reprisal against the Christian saints Peter and Paul is indicative: the first "Roman passport" did not have and he was crucified, Paul had citizenship and died by the sword.

And when Marcus Crassus suppressed the rebellion of Spartacus, he placed 6 thousand crosses along the Appian Way leading to Rome and nailed the prisoners to them. This was so that the slaves would not dare to rebel against their masters in the future.



The most famous case of crucifixion in history is the execution of Jesus Christ. After that, the cross became a symbol of religion, spreading throughout the world.



Here historians begin to argue with each other. Some of them say that the Romans did not use the cross, they crucified people on crossbars in the shape of the letter T.



Other lovers of digging into the secrets of the past believe that in the East they also did not execute on crosses, but crucified people on vertical poles with a small crossbar on top. And allegedly later the crossbar was increased and moved down - that's how it entered the world annals. And they point out another point, that no one was nailed to the cross, but tied tightly with ropes. And nails were used in individual cases and by special order of the authorities - when they wanted to cause the victim more suffering.

Well, let them argue - the essence of it does not change much. In any case, death by crucifixion was terrible.



The victim himself carried the crossbar weighing up to 30 kg to the place of execution. And when she found herself on the cross, even without any nails, she suffered from dehydration and terrible pain in her bound limbs. After some time, muscle cramps began, they became stronger and stronger, and the poor thing could die from pain shock. But in some cases, a person suffered for several days.



Crucifixion was severely condemned by Cicero in 1 BC. But the Romans used this execution until 313, when Christianity was recognized as the official religion of the Empire.