Crime and Punishmnent

Ancient Rome - Crucifixion- 6th Century BC to 4th Century AD.

400

not a quick death, but very, very painful.
the victim would be nailed to a wooden cross and left to die.
they would often have to carry their own cross out to the site, they were often stripped down, and then their hands would be nailed to either side of the cross.. their feet would also be nailed to the cross. then they would be left to die. some lasted for a while, some not very long. this was a public execution.

Crucifixion continued

400

this was a punishment for treason for citizens of Rome, as that was the worst crime you could commit as a citizen. it was used for slightly smaller crimes committed by non citizens. the ise of this punishment for mainly non-citizens reflected that the roman government believed that the non-citizens were expendable and much lower in the food chain than the citizens, and that the citizens of rome should not be given such humiliating deaths.

Crucifixion continued 2

400

actual roman citizens

'Hanged, drawn and quartered', continued

Jan 1, 1350

this was a punishment for men who were convicted of high treason.

'Hanged, Drawn and Quartered' - England from the 1200s til the 1800s

Jan 1, 1350

Being hanged, drawn and quartered was a punishment in England from the 1200s until the 1800s when the punishment was abolished. Being hanged quatered and drawn meant that the victim was fastened to a wooden panel and drawn by horse to the place of execution. then they were hung, almost to the point of death, then emasculated, disembowelled, beheaded and quartered, so they head their genitals removed, their bowels removed, their heads chopped off and then they were cut into four pieces.

impalement continued 2

Jul 16, 1500

i guess this reflected the values in england at the time that people who took their own life were to be looked down upon and their families were to be punished, and this was a public, humiliating punishment that did just that. it also humiliated those and the families of those that committed crimes. it also reflected the 'big punishments for smaller offences' belief.

Impalement continued

Jul 16, 1500

gravity and the victim's struggles would force the victim to slide down the pole, leading to their death. then they were thrown into their grave, sometimes not even completely dead. this punishment was used in many countries such as romania, turkey, england, and some parts of asia. in england, this punishment was used post mortem (after death) on suicide victims and those who died whilst comitting a crime.

Impalement - a lot of places in the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries

Jul 16, 1500

impalement involved the victim being pierced and impaled with a long stake. the stake was inserted into either the rectum or the mouth, then held into place by one person whilst another hammered it into the victim vertically. in preparation for this execution, the person usually had to dig their own grave. they were also subjected to public torture or rape before being impaled. the pole was usually blunt, as a blunt pole would push vital organs aside and prolong death.

China in 9th century AD

Mar 2, 2022

in the 9th century AD the chinese had a punishment known as slow slicing. the person who committed the crime would be tied to a wooden frame. then the executioner would start slicing off bits of the person's flesh with a knife until the person was dead. Sometimes the wounds would be wiped with salt water to inflict more pain. Some executioners injected the vistoms with opium, a substance used in heroin, so that the victim would not pass out and would live longer through the punishment.

Chinese Slow Slow slicing continued

Mar 2, 2022

victim would not pass out and was awake during the execution. the execution was always public. this was a punishment for those who committed murder, treason or abuse. this punishment was used for many years until it's abolition. it relflected the values of the chinese society of incredibly heavy punishments for crimes to scare the other citizens into behaving. it also reflects how severe the crimes of murder, treason and abuse were in the minds of the ancient chinese.

Chinese Slow slicing continued 2

Mar 2, 2022

the use of slow slicing as a punishment also shows the belief of the time that torture and pain leading up to death was the worst punishment you could be given, whereas nowadays, prison is a common punishment, and to some people, inprisonment is worse than death.