Crucifixion is the stuff of nightmares and horrors. The Greeks wouldn’t practice it, and it was only until the conquests of Alexander that we begin to read about it. Alexander, it is thought plucked this awful form of torture from the Persians. The Romans appear to have picked up the practice following the example of Carthage, where, as it should come as no surprise, it was practiced frequently.

For the Romans, crucifixion was the pinnacle of punishment. They started out crucifying slaves, and eventually found themselves applying the punishment to deserters, thieves and conquered folk alike. Those that were conquered felt this punishment more than almost anyone. As an example, in Israel, the Romans would crucify 2,000 seditious Jews after the death of Herod the Great. At its height, the Roman Empire was crucifying up to 500 Jews a day. As a final example 6,000 crucified bodies lined the road from Capua to Rome after the rebel army led by Spartacus was defeated.

The Romans felt that crucifixion was the best way to dissuade others from also committing the same crimes, because their crime was clearly placed on the titulus above their head (see picture below). There are even some reports of victims being left up long after they had died to further prove the point to citizens. The intent of Crucifixion was to prolong death, and ensure it was extraordinarily painful (this is where we get the word excruciating, which means "out of crucifying"), gruesome, humiliating, and public.

Below you’ll find links to deeper dives on things revolving around Roman crucifixion practices.