roman crucifixion

roman crucifixion Latest

Jan 6 Blog

A Tomb in Jerusalem Reveals the History of Crucifixion and Roman Crucifixion Methods

In the history of crucifixion, the death of Jesus of Nazareth stands out as the best-known example by far. Crucifixion in antiquity was actually a fairly common punishment, but there were no known physical remains from a crucifixion. Then, in 1968, archaeologist Vassilios Tzaferis excavated a Jerusalem tomb that contained the bones of a crucified man named Yehohanan. As Tzaferis reported in BAR, the discovery demonstrated the brutal reality of Roman crucifixion methods in a way that written accounts never had before.

Nov 18 Blog

Where Is Golgotha, Where Jesus Was Crucified?

By: BAS Staff

Where is Golgotha, where Jesus was crucified, located in Jerusalem? Marcel Serr and Dieter Vieweger discuss past and current investigations into the site where Jesus was crucified.

Sep 30 Blog

The Staurogram

By: BAS Staff

The staurogram, a crucifixion symbol made out of the Greek letters tau-rho, is 200 years older than the oldest previously-known images of Jesus on the cross.

The Magdala Stone. Photo: Yael Yulowich, Israel Antiquities Authority

Aug 17 Blog

The Magdala Stone: The Jerusalem Temple Embodied

By: Jennifer Ristine

For a people living in the diaspora, unable to visit the Jerusalem Temple frequently, what kept the memory and centrality of the Temple fresh in their minds? An intriguing stone uncovered at the Galilean site of Magdala might offer a clue.

Aug 14 Blog

Roman Crucifixion Methods Reveal the History of Crucifixion

By: BAS Staff

What do we know about the history of crucifixion? Hershel Shanks looks at evidence of Roman crucifixion methods as analyzed from the remains found in Jerusalem of a young man crucified in the first century A.D.

83-inch-tall marble sculpture by Donatello, 1415, for a niche in the facade of the Cathedral of Florence. Photo: Erich Lessing

Aug 9 Blog

Gospel of John Commentary: Who Wrote the Gospel of John and How Historical Is It?

By: BAS Staff

The Gospels, the first four books of the New Testament, tell the story of the life of Jesus. Yet only one—the Gospel of John—claims to be an eyewitness account, the testimony of the unnamed “disciple whom Jesus loved.”

“The Earthquake” by James Jacques Tissot (1836-1902). Public Domain

Aug 5 Blog

Is Jesus’ Crucifixion Reflected in Soil Deposition?

By: Biblical Archaeology Society Staff

The Gospel of Matthew describes an earthquake during Jesus’ Crucifixion. Sediment disturbances mentioned in a recent article in the International Geology Review points to the Biblical earthquake and may give a concrete date of the crucifixion. Painting by James Jacques Tissot.

Mar 15 Blog

Ancient Crucifixion Images

By: BAS Staff

Crucifixion images abound today—from sculptures and icons in churches to the masterful paintings hanging in museums. But how many of these actually give us a realistic idea of what Jesus’ crucifixion looked like? Do these artistic crucifixion images accurately reflect ancient Roman crucifixion methods?

Jesus’s crucifixion displayed on the fifth-century C.E. wooden doors of the Basilica of Santa Sabina in Rome. Photo: Jim Forest

Jan 26 Blog

Jesus and the Cross

By: Steven Shisley

Most scholars believe that early Christians did not use the cross as an image of their religion. So how did the cross become modern Christianity’s most popular symbol?

Oct 15 Blog

Rare Evidence for Roman Crucifixion Found in Second-Century Britain

By: Nathan Steinmeyer

A surprise discovery has shed light on the gruesome execution practice of Roman crucifixion. As first reported in December 2021 in the magazine British Archaeology, a […]

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