Crucifixion was a painfully slow method of execution practiced by the ancient Romans. It involved nailing or tying the victim’s legs and arms to a wooden cross that was designed to induce maximum pain. Crucifixion was a widespread punishment throughout the Roman Empire from the 3rd century BC. C. until the 3rd century AD. C. It guaranteed a slow and painful death for the lowest class of criminals who challenged the authority of the Roman Empire. However, few people would have known this if Christ had not been crucified and the Christian religion had not spread throughout the world. For approximately the last seventeen hundred years, the “Cross” has been the symbol of Jesus’ death for the forgiveness of man’s sins. However, other than Christianity, there is little archaeological evidence to substantiate the practice.
Certain ancient writers witnessed and documented the horrors of many who suffered. Josephus, the ancient Jewish chronicler, historian, and Jewish general described on separate occasions thousands of crucified men and the gray manner in which the bodies were lowered from their crosses (jewish war). In the year 40 AD. C., the Roman writer Seneca reported seeing thousands of victims nailed in contorted positions: arms and legs open, face down, and even genitalia nailed (De Consolation ad Marciam). Plutarch counts 6,000 people crucified for miles along the Appian Way, the famous road that led directly to Rome. Hundreds of thousands of rebels, slaves, and other criminals are believed to have been crucified throughout the Empire.
Although there should be abundant archaeological evidence, it is surprisingly scant for several reasons:
1. The stocks were made of wood. They were recyclable due to the scarcity of trees. A wooden cross could have been used in one crucifixion after another to kill many victims. Over a period of time, they decayed until they became too unstable.
2. After the corpses of the victims were taken down, they were thrown into rivers or pits in the ground, eventually rotting into skeletons. Most of these places have yet to be discovered.
3. The only really durable items used in crucifixions were nails made of iron. The nails were reused for many crucifixions. In the case of nailing Christian martyrs to crosses, medieval Christians stole from tombs many iron nails that pierced their hands and feet because they were believed to have miraculous divine powers.
While there is an almost complete lack of physical evidence, in 1968, archaeologists discovered an ancient box of bones, also called an “ossuary,” buried in a deep cave around Jerusalem. Inside they discovered the remains of a young male victim with a rusty nail driven completely through his right ankle bone. The victim’s name was “Yehohanan”, a young Jewish man who was crucified around AD 70. This clue indicates a way the Romans crucified their enemies, which involved nailing each foot through the ankle bone on either side of the crosses.
According to legend, Helena, the mother of the first Christian emperor Constantine the Great, traveled to Jerusalem in the fourth century AD and found the crosses of Christ and the two thieves crucified with Him, as well as the nails and title hanging over Jesus. ‘ body. Some of these items are on display in the Basilica of “Santa Croce in Gerusalemme” (Holy Cross in Jerusalem) in Rome, Italy.
For many Christians, the Shroud of Turin is considered the linen that wrapped the crucified body of Jesus Christ. Nail wounds are found in the wrist and foot areas. Unlike the evidence that the nails went through the bones of both ankles, the Shroud shows that Jesus’ feet were nailed to a small piece of wood attached to the front of the cross.
Crucifixion was perhaps the most widespread form of execution in world history, but archaeologists have found little physical evidence of this cruel practice. The only artifact discovered was the ankle bone driven by a nail in an ancient ossuary discovered in Jerusalem fifty years ago. We have the testimonies of ancient writers who witnessed the horrible spectacles. For many Christians, artifacts such as the Shroud of Turin and relics recovered from the site of Christ’s crucifixion by the mother of the Emperor Constantine, are tangible evidence of the crucifixion. What we don’t know are the locations of the wooden crucifixes and the bodies of the victims that have rotted over time. Perhaps with more searching and excavation, archaeologists can uncover more evidence, which would help us learn more about his widespread infamy.
