BB-014 / Punishment
Crucifixion
The Act
Victims were affixed to a wooden cross or stake by nails or ropes through the hands/wrists and feet. Death resulted from asphyxiation, shock, or exhaustion and could take hours or days. The method was used by Persians, Carthaginians, and extensively by the Romans for slaves, rebels, and non-citizens. It was designed for maximum public humiliation and suffering.
The Response
Roman citizens were generally exempt. The practice declined with the spread of Christianity (which associated it with the death of Jesus) and was formally abolished by Constantine in the 4th century. It has occasionally reappeared in later periods as a method of execution or punishment.