AboutRudy de Swart Expertise I`ve quite some knowledge about Ancient Egypt. I have a modest collection of books on Ancient Eyptian history and if I don`t know the answer to a question I know some people how can answer it.
Question Thank You, for the answer, If you might be able to elaborate on the specifics of crucifixion used by these other societies that will be very helpful to us.-------------------------
Followup To
Question -
How did the Egyptians use crucifixion? How was it different from Roman crucifixion?
Answer -
The Egyptians did not use crucifixtion.
Crucifixation was a method of capital punishment among the Persians, Seleucids and Romans. It was abolished in AD 337 by Constantine the Great, the first Christian Roman emperor.
Answer I the most common form of crucifixion the victim was fastened to a cross which consisted of an upright piece, called the stipes and a crosspiece, called the patibulum.
During crucifixion, the vicitim was provided with a partial seat, called a sedile, a piece of board nailed to the cross. But the victim could use the sedile only by allowing his torso to slump, with painful results. The weight of his sinking body forced his knees to bend sharply and stretched out his upraised arms to an unnatural extent.
The victim was attached to the cross using crude iron spikes, which were driven through the wrists. Also, after both feet with heels and toes together had been turned sideways against the cross, a third spike was driven through a board and then through both heels. When the victim hung on his cross, the lower part of the body must have been twisted to one side.
Why did the victim die? In the strangely contorted sitting position, he could breathe in, but he could not relax the muscles of the rib cage sufficiently to breathe out. Thus, to exhale, he had to push himself up, using mainly his legs. In time, overcome by weakness, he was not able to raise himself for another breath, and he died of suffocation.
