Remains of a Roman slave with a two-inch iron nail driven through his heel bone have been found in Cambridgeshire — and are the 'world's best example of crucifixion' and the first evidence of such from the UK.
Archaeologists unearthed the skeleton during an excavation at the village of Fenstanton back in 2017 and have just completed their analysis of the grisly find.
Radiocarbon dating has placed the finds between 130–337 AD.
The skeleton of the 5'7'' man — believed to have been 25–35 at the time of his death — was found alongside traces of a timber structure that he was buried with.
Rather than a cross, however, the team believe that this may have been a type of board called a 'bier' on which the corpse would have been placed after death.
The fact that no other nails were found in the man's body suggests that he was tied to a separate wooden structure — possible another board — during his ordeal.
The nail running through his heel, the archaeologists said, likely served not to support his weight but to 'stop him wriggling'.
Physical evidence of crucifixion — rather than documented descriptions of the practice — tends to be rare, as the victim's remains were usually unceremoniously disposed of and the nails removed for their 'magical' properties.
Researchers are unsure exactly why the victim may have been crucified. For some, extreme penalties (which likely also included burning and being sent to wild beasts) are thought to have been doled out for severe crimes.
These may have included, for example, severe political crimes like treason or sedition, desertion from the military, destroying tombs, some kinds of murder, and rape.
However, status would also come into play — with those of higher rank tending to receive less extreme penalties while, the researchers explained, 'almost anything could condemn a slave to crucifixion'.
In one case, for example, a slave was crucified simply for refusing to testify against her mistress.
Roman law also famously dictated that should a slave kill his master, then all of that man's slaves — including women and children — were executed, often by crucifixion.
Aucun commentaire:
Enregistrer un commentaire