History of Crucifixion

The word crucifixion comes from the Latin word crucifixus which means "to fix to a cross." It's an ancient form of execution meant to inflict the greatest amount of pain possible on the condemned person as they're nailed or tied to a large wooden cross and left hanging until they die.

Jesus Christ was crucified but this form of execution was abolished in 337 AD by Roman Emperor Constantine out of veneration for Christ, according to some historians.

Why Crucifixion?

Crucifixion was an extremely slow, public painful death meant to scare others and dissuade them from committing crimes punishable by it. Those charged guilty and executed in this manner were usually left hanging after they died as a further warning. Unless family or loved ones took the body down, it was left to decay.

The execution was also incredibly humiliating. Pictures of the crucified, including images of a crucified Christ, show a covering over the genitals. However, it's more likely that victims were crucified completely nude. Often the condemned was forced to carry the crossbeam portion of the cross to the place of execution. An average crossbeam would weigh between 75 to 100 pounds.

The condemned would be attached to the crossbeam and strung up on the upright post already placed in the ground at the execution site. Sometimes the victim was tied to the crossbeam with rope. Other times, as in the case of Jesus Christ, the condemned was nailed to the cross to inflict additional pain. The weight of the body on the nails and rope would cause excruciating pain for the condemned.

As the condemned was left hanging for hours until they died, they were forced to urinate and defecate in the open. The urine and defecation attracted flies which increased the victim's discomfort. It was common for the legs of the condemned to be shattered with a heavy club.

The Cause of Death

Death was never fast. The blessed died within hours. Otherwise the torture could last for days. The end result of death could be caused by dehydration, shock, injury from whippings that usually preceded the Crucifixion, blood loss or blood poisoning where the whole body becomes infected.

Is There Crucifixion Today?

Modern Saudi Arabia has been known to display the bodies of beheaded convicts in wooden units. The Sudan government officially allows execution by crucifixion but information about the specific form of execution and how often this is done isn't readily available. In 2002 88 people were executed this way.