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Naraku said:
As I posted elsewhere; I am currently writing a story about a mass crucifixion of Christians along side one the roads leading to Rome. I decided the bodies of those who died would be removed each day and dumped somewhere. But, I'm not sure where.
Does anyone know if there was a landfill or some other place outside of Rome where garbage - and the bodies of those unworthy of or unable to afford proper burial - would be dumped? I'm think of something like Gehenna, the valley outside Jerusalem where trash was burned.
All I've been able to learn is that most garbage was simply dumped in the streets and washed into the sewers by rain. While this might have been fine for ordinary household refuse, it wouldn't do for something large like a the carcass of a dead horse. Or a dead human. I've have learned that there is a large hill south of Rome, Monte Testaccio, that is actually a pile of broken amphorae.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monte_Testaccio
So, does anyone have any knowledge on this subject?
Click to expand...

I have some research that might be of some help. Years ago I took a map of ancient Rome from Platner's Topographical Dictionary of Ancient Rome and superimposed contour lines from a modern map of the city onto it. My purpose was to be able to include description such as steep uphill/downhill, where water would likely run during a storm, etc. in stories I wrote that took place in Rome. This was how I got the idea of having Sabina fall when she reached the crest of the hill as she walked up the Clivus Suburanus towards the Sessorium, where she would be crucified. I could tell from the contour lines about where the slope would break at the top, and that you'd probably reach that suddenly and be able to see through the Esquiline Gate to what lay beyond. In Sabina's case, she saw the place where she was about to be crucified.

As it happens, Platner showed the Puticuli, the garbage pits of Rome, on his map. They were just to the left, or north, as one passed through the Esquiline Gate in the Servian Wall, shown in red on this map. To the right, or south, was a pauper's cemetery that had a reputation for being an unhealthy, stinking place. Beyond those was the Sessorium, Rome's place of execution where so many crucifixions were carried out that it was said to have become "a forest of crosses."

I have attached two versions of the map I put together, one with the annotations I made when researching for The Serpent's Eye, and another clean one with no annotations.
 

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Thank you, Jedakk. That's exactly the thing I was looking for. In fact, it's perfect. My story takes place in the time of Nero when the site would have still been outside the city walls and the crucifixion site is along the Via Numentana which would only be 1.5 km away and not require the bodies to be taken through the city.
The academic level of this forum is amazing.:)
 
Naraku said:
Thank you, Jedakk. That's exactly the thing I was looking for. In fact, it's perfect. My story takes place in the time of Nero when the site would have still been outside the city walls and the crucifixion site is along the Via Numentana which would only be 1.5 km away and not require the bodies to be taken through the city.
The academic level of this forum is amazing.:)
Click to expand...

Looks like there might have been a road along the outside of the wall most of the way, too, which would have helped. Would it make sense for them to just dig a mass grave especially for the purpose close to the site of the executions and cover the bodies with a layer of earth or maybe lime, daily?

I look forward to reading your story!
 
Barbaria1 said:
https://bonesdontlie.wordpress.com/...-death-and-mass-graves-from-the-roman-empire/

http://www.christianpost.com/news/c...tackles-discovery-of-2000-dead-bodies-113919/
Click to expand...
The mass graves are a little late for my story. But, the article shows how mass graves can be valuable to historians and archaeologists. For instance, a mass grave in Vilnius discovered in 2012 seems to prove that most of Napoleon's army survived the retreat from Moscow only to die there from the effects of cold, disease and malnutrition.
http://archive.archaeology.org/0209/etc/napoleon.html
As for the second article: There is a tendency even among scholars to consider any body found in the catacombs as Christian, and probably a martyr. I would think it more likely that this was repository for skeletons removed from other graves to make room for new burials. Something like the City of the Dead beneath Paris.
The case of St Philomena is an example of how the eagerness to find martyrs graves can get out of hand.
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/12025b.htm
 
I've just posted this note on 'What Cross would you choose?':
Re- crucifixion with arms back over the crossbar -
I happen to have just read an article about portrayals of crucifixion
and martyrdom in Anglo-Saxon art - as in early medieval art generally,
representation of Christ or other bodies crucified that way are very rare,
but there are a couple of examples on carved crosses in northern England.
The article states that there is some evidence that it was one of the
various methods actually used by the Romans.

The article references what is evidently a very important publication on our favourite subject:
John Granger Cook, Crucifixion in the Mediterranean World.
Wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen zum Neuen Testament 327.
Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2015. Pp. xxiv, 522. ISBN 9783161537646. €69.00 (pb).

I've been aware of this, but have not seen it - obviously not cheap,
though actually a fairly good price for a heavyweight academic book from a German publisher -
eul must save up her bawbees ;)

Anyway, there are now some detailed reviews on-line that give good accounts
of what is evidently the 'Encyclopaedia Crucifixionis':

https://diglotting.com/2014/08/27/book-review-crucifixion-in-the-mediterranean-world/

http://bmcr.brynmawr.edu/2017/2017-01-19.html

And a 'tasty' article by the author himself:

https://www.bibleinterp.com/PDFs/CrucifixionAncientMed.pdf
 
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Eulalia said:
And a 'tasty' article by the author himself:
Click to expand...
a nice roundup with a lot of the resources and topics that have started threads here...
of course in this place we know the true story of 'Alkimila' from the Puteoli graffito http://www.cruxforums.com/xf/threads/a-thief-in-the-macellum-crux-story-by-montycrusto.4803/
Cook mentions 'apotympanismos' which Zephyros also brought up some years ago... http://www.cruxforums.com/xf/threads/apotympanismos-an-execution-like-crucifixion-in-antiquity.4678/
 
Eulalia said:
I've just posted this note on 'What Cross would you choose?':
Re- crucifixion with arms back over the crossbar -
I happen to have just read an article about portrayals of crucifixion
and martyrdom in Anglo-Saxon art - as in early medieval art generally,
representation of Christ or other bodies crucified that way are very rare,
but there are a couple of examples on carved crosses in northern England.
The article states that there is some evidence that it was one of the
various methods actually used by the Romans.

The article references what is evidently a very important publication on our favourite subject:
John Granger Cook, Crucifixion in the Mediterranean World.
Wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen zum Neuen Testament 327.
Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2015. Pp. xxiv, 522. ISBN 9783161537646. €69.00 (pb).

I've been aware of this, but have not seen it - obviously not cheap,
though actually a fairly good price for a heavyweight academic book from a German publisher -
eul must save up her bawbees ;)

Anyway, there are now some detailed reviews on-line that give good accounts
of what is evidently the 'Encyclopaedia Crucifixionis':

https://diglotting.com/2014/08/27/book-review-crucifixion-in-the-mediterranean-world/

http://bmcr.brynmawr.edu/2017/2017-01-19.html

And a 'tasty' article by the author himself:

https://www.bibleinterp.com/PDFs/CrucifixionAncientMed.pdf
Click to expand...

I must get a copy too, he sounds like my sort of fella.

Cook begins by discussing definitions and methodology. He defines crucifixion as “‘execution by suspension’ is acceptable as long as one excludes impalement or hanging” (2), though notes that “it is impossible, of course, to completely exclude impalement in all cases that use crux, σταυρός (stauros) and the associated verbs, but explicit impalement is (textually) rare as a Roman punishment” (3).

ps tell me more about your bawbees, Eul :p
 
That little sketch of a crucified Andromeda - at least she's bound to a patibulum -
delights this girl, my crucifixion and Andromeda fantasies have always been two
separate dream-stories for me, now they can be one (and reading into the topic,
apparently the idea of Andromeda being bound or suspended from a cross
while she awaited her date with the sea-dragon was quite widespread in Greek
and Roman art and writings, so much so that people born under the influence
of her constellation were fated to end up that way themselves! :eek: :devil:)
 
Naraku said:
Thank you, Jedakk. That's exactly the thing I was looking for. In fact, it's perfect. My story takes place in the time of Nero when the site would have still been outside the city walls and the crucifixion site is along the Via Numentana which would only be 1.5 km away and not require the bodies to be taken through the city.
The academic level of this forum is amazing.:)
Click to expand...
Better late than never: a 2014 article discussing Roman capital punishment and burial of criminals, unfortunately available as Google Books preview only.
 
Marcius said:
unfortunately available as Google Books preview only.
Click to expand...
Well you can buy the whole book (e-book), but it ain't cheap :p
Incidentally, if anyone's baffled, the link in Marcius's post is click on 'Better late than never'
 
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