The man who may have once been a slave in Roman times suffered a painful death when nailed to a cross and asphyxiated.
Archaeologists discovered the remains of a man aged 25 to 35 who had been crucified while excavating for a construction project in Cambridgeshire, England. The findings were published in the British Archaeology journal on December 8.
The remains of the man who was crucified. (Photo: Albion Archaeology/Adam Williams).
The remains were found in a cemetery containing 48 graves. The bones of these individuals indicate they had engaged in heavy labor. Nearby, the research team also uncovered a workshop specializing in extracting marrow from animal bones—used for soap production and other purposes.
Experts believe the man died a horrific death from crucifixion in the 3rd or 4th century, with a nail still piercing through his heel bone. Weakness in his leg bones suggests he had been chained to a wall for a long time before being crucified, according to David Ingham, project manager at Albion Archaeology, the firm responsible for excavating the remains.
“We believe this was a local individual,” Ingham stated. He posited that the man who was crucified and others buried in the cemetery may have been enslaved. Ingham noted that in 212 AD, Roman citizenship was extended to all free individuals living within the Roman Empire, and the punishment of crucifixion typically did not apply to Roman citizens.
The nail piercing through the heel bone, evidence that the man suffered torture. (Photo: Albion Archaeology).
During the crucifixion, the man’s hands were tied to the cross while his feet were nailed down. This position caused asphyxiation, leading to his death, Ingham explained. Even for slaves, crucifixion was reserved for the most serious offenses, such as rebellion.
The new discovery is one of the rare examples of a crucified individual found in the Roman Empire. Another set of remains was excavated in 1968 from a 1st-century tomb in Jerusalem.
Experts believe that the practice of crucifixion originated with the Assyrians, Babylonians, and was also used by the Persians as early as the 6th century BC. At that time, victims were tied to trees or poles, as the cross was not used until the Roman era. Roman Emperor Constantine I abolished this practice in the 4th century.
