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How About The Breaking Of The Legs?

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Without the body being able to be supported by the legs
The chest cavity will elongate.
With an elongated chest cavity it becomes problematic to breathe out.

With unbroken legs being able to support the body, the crucified can push up and breathe out, removing the stale air from the lungs.
Even if it hurts enormously if the feet are nailed to the cross but the crucified can do this.

With broken legs or even free hanging legs you will suffocate slowly.
It doesn't enhance the torture of the cross just replaces it with the torture of broken legs and slowly suffocating.
Also the trauma of the shattering of the legs can lead to for example heart attacks especialy in a weakened state when someone was allready draing by a long time on the cross


Breaking the legs was done to speed death for what ever reason it was deemed neccesary.
Freeing guards for other important duties or for negating religious taboos.
 
Gabriel Roman arena 483-1-.jpg
 
I found something else.
Crucified people were sometimes taken down from the cross and sold as slaves.
I couldn't find out how long they were alive.
But I think that the guards prevented that by breaking the legs of the crucified ones in the evening. Nobody took one as a slave if the legs were broken.
 
To avoid someone stealing somone of the cross..
Thought nails would take care of that.
Guards keeping guard also prevents "rescues" of the crucified.
 
Yes, after the nails go in, they are very effectively crippled. Even if they survive and are nursed back to health, they can never fully heal, even after months. It’s far cheaper to just get a new slave. Now, buying a slave that was roped to a cross for punishment, that happened all the time I’m sure.
 
shevak2006 said:
An old thread but I found it fascinating reading. Apart from any historical records of leg-breaking, I suspect it was not routinely used for many of the good reasons cited in this thread. Why go to all the trouble of crucifying someone -- intending for her to endure the most severe, sustained agony possible -- and then shorten her time on the cross. If it was done at all I suspect it was out of an expediency that did not at all take into account the suffering of the victim. If the situation demanded it, her time on the cross was shortened. (Hey, there's a long line of condemned here; we need the wood and nails!) But even as an expediency it sounds as it may not be all that quick. Why not just a spear thrust under her breast that pierces her heart, or cut the femoral artery. She'll bleed out very quickly. Routine crucifixions had to have been boring work for the execution squads. If they were told they could break some legs, for any legitimate reason, and go home early, I'm sure they'd be quick to do it.

I also like the idea that the family or friends of a crucified person could help end her suffering early -- after, of course, some minimum time on the cross, say 6 hours or so -- by paying to have her legs broken. A horribly painfull act in itself, it would add immensely to her already unimaginable pain load. But if it hastens her death significantly -- say, she dies in another hour or two versus lasting through the night -- then she's better off for it and the family is relieved her suffering is over. I can imagine scenes where family members, knowing of a daughter or wife being crucified (OK, or a a male member of a family), begging money from other family members or friends so they could pay the executioners to break the legs of their loved one. ("Please help us!!! Dorothy's been crucified.") Perhaps the amount of money collected would indicate the quickness of the assisted death: 10 denarii get you one broken leg, 20 get both legs broken, and 50 get the condemned a quick spear through the heart. If your family is poor then too bad for you; you hang with intact legs as long as necessary.

I personally do not find the act of leg breaking at all erotic (as when women are crucified). The image of the writhing, sweating, naked and exposed female nailed to a cross is so powerful in itself, nothing much can be added to it. Oh, perhaps some tortures aimed her breasts or groin as she hangs. But these would not hasten death, just add to her pain and humiliation. Also -- and I wonder if many who read this rather long posting will agree -- I find the act of a woman losing control of her bodily functions as she hangs to be not only a physiological certainty but highly erotic and entertaining to watch. Keeping her watered and urinating is probably a sign she's not near death. And be careful where you stand when raising her up and nailing her feet, as she may drop a load on you! (An occupational hazard, perhaps, for crux teams.)

And one final note: just as people used to come out as families to watch hangings in the 1800s in the US, I suspect public crucifixions were carried out with crowds qucikly gathering. They'd want the victims -- especially if they were lovley ladies -- to hang as long as possible. I'm sure they'd boo and hiss if they saw the hammers come out to break someone's legs. Or, perhaps, if they felt especially sad over seeing a particular woman crucified, or felt she'd been unfairly dealt with, they might even pass the hat and get enough coin to end her suffering early. But I wouldn't count on it!
Click to expand...

What a great idea! The family and friends of a crucified person scraping up enough money to get her/him dispatched more quickly.
 
So, I am resurecting (hehehe) this thread because I have a question for y'all. What exactly did the Roman fustis/club look like? Most depictions of crucifragium show a mace instead of a club, what I believe you would use for breaking legs. The actual Roman club design is quite dull. Basically a cylinder.

So far my idea is vaguely mace like, take a look
 
mp5stab said:
So, I am resurecting (hehehe) this thread because I have a question for y'all. What exactly did the Roman fustis/club look like? Most depictions of crucifragium show a mace instead of a club, what I believe you would use for breaking legs. The actual Roman club design is quite dull. Basically a cylinder.

So far my idea is vaguely mace like, take a look
Click to expand...
I found the following description of a "fustis":
Often mistaken for a centurion's badge of office (vitis), the fustis was a nightstick used by riot police. It is portrayed on soldiers' gravestones from Rome of which a new example is published here. Several soldiers stationed in Caesarea also wielded the fustis which shows that the garrison of Mauretania' s capital functioned as riot police. The fustis, moreover, was the weapon of beneficiarii, perhaps to enforce tax-paying. It is seen, together with wax tablets for record-keeping, on their gravestones from Rome, Greece, and Mauretania.
Gravestone-of-a-Praetorian-with-fustis-Rome_Q640.jpgGravestone-of-M-Aurelius-Lucianus-Rome_Q320.jpg
In other words, a wooden stick used against unarmored opponents like unruly crowds; similar to what would be used by modern riot police.
riotpolice.jpg
A heavy metal mace, like the one in your picture, was something introduced in the High Middle Ages for smashing plate armor.
 
Naraku said:
I found the following description of a "fustis":
Often mistaken for a centurion's badge of office (vitis), the fustis was a nightstick used by riot police. It is portrayed on soldiers' gravestones from Rome of which a new example is published here. Several soldiers stationed in Caesarea also wielded the fustis which shows that the garrison of Mauretania' s capital functioned as riot police. The fustis, moreover, was the weapon of beneficiarii, perhaps to enforce tax-paying. It is seen, together with wax tablets for record-keeping, on their gravestones from Rome, Greece, and Mauretania.
View attachment 1281784View attachment 1281785
In other words, a wooden stick used against unarmored opponents like unruly crowds; similar to what would be used by modern riot police.
View attachment 1281786
A heavy metal mace, like the one in your picture, was something introduced in the High Middle Ages for smashing plate armor.
Click to expand...
You see, that's what I'm talking about. Those sticks are terribly dull.

I've seen all of the images you've seen, I was kinda hoping someone did more digging, or knew more about Roman arms. Oh well, I will be going with the giant leg smashing mace until told otherwise. I don't think it would be outside of the scope of Roman tech. And certainly not too wild for my setting of Pentecosta
 
mp5stab said:
You see, that's what I'm talking about. Those sticks are terribly dull.

I've seen all of the images you've seen, I was kinda hoping someone did more digging, or knew more about Roman arms. Oh well, I will be going with the giant leg smashing mace until told otherwise. I don't think it would be outside of the scope of Roman tech. And certainly not too wild for my setting of Pentecosta
Click to expand...
Hi Em, don't overlook the fact that a hammer would generally be available at the execution site. ;)
 
mp5stab said:
You see, that's what I'm talking about. Those sticks are terribly dull.

I've seen all of the images you've seen, I was kinda hoping someone did more digging, or knew more about Roman arms. Oh well, I will be going with the giant leg smashing mace until told otherwise. I don't think it would be outside of the scope of Roman tech. And certainly not too wild for my setting of Pentecosta
Click to expand...
Go with whatever fits your fantasies. Historical accuracy is not a requirement.
Even if we can be kind of a nit-picky bunch sometimes.;)
 
JudithJesus said:
Had a conversation recently and was asked if I'd like to have my legs broken to hasten death on the cross. I don't often see that detail in stories on here, is it too brutal for most? My personal fantasy would certainly include it, and the pain would be excruciating but it would signal the end at last. (I must stress that this is a FANTASY, I don't actually want to die, but if I was going to, I'd want the whole experience.)

Thoughts from you all? How does breaking legs enhance the torture?
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I often end my stories with the broken of the legs. Yes, I agree, it's the final act, at last.
 
Naraku said:
I found the following description of a "fustis":
Often mistaken for a centurion's badge of office (vitis), the fustis was a nightstick used by riot police. It is portrayed on soldiers' gravestones from Rome of which a new example is published here. Several soldiers stationed in Caesarea also wielded the fustis which shows that the garrison of Mauretania' s capital functioned as riot police. The fustis, moreover, was the weapon of beneficiarii, perhaps to enforce tax-paying. It is seen, together with wax tablets for record-keeping, on their gravestones from Rome, Greece, and Mauretania.
View attachment 1281784View attachment 1281785
In other words, a wooden stick used against unarmored opponents like unruly crowds; similar to what would be used by modern riot police.
View attachment 1281786
A heavy metal mace, like the one in your picture, was something introduced in the High Middle Ages for smashing plate armor.
Click to expand...
In fact, fustuarium was the ultimate military punishment, being beaten to death with fustes. Another word, used by Pliny, was fustitudinus which my dictionary translates as 'cudgel-walloping', a particularly energetic kink we haven't had demonstrated on CruxForums - well, not yet ...
 
Eulalia said:
In fact, fustuarium was the ultimate military punishment, being beaten to death with fustes. Another word, used by Pliny, was fustitudinus which my dictionary translates as 'cudgel-walloping', a particularly energetic kink we haven't had demonstrated on CruxForums - well, not yet ...
Click to expand...
It was the usually done in cases of decimation, when one legionary out of every group of ten in a unit accused of cowardice was chosen by lot to be beaten to death by the other nine.
If ever these same things happen to occur among a large group of men... the officers reject the idea of bludgeoning or slaughtering all the men involved [as is the case with a small group or an individual]. Instead they find a solution for the situation which chooses by a lottery system sometimes five, sometimes eight, sometimes twenty of these men, always calculating the number in this group with reference to the whole unit of offenders so that this group forms one-tenth of all those guilty of cowardice. And these men who are chosen by lot are bludgeoned mercilessly in the manner described above. - Polybius 3rd century BCE
Not my kink, but a man being stripped and beaten may appeal to some.
 
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