Beginning of Essay
Crucifixion probably first began among the Persians. Alexander the Great introduced the practice to Egypt and Carthage, and the Romans appeared to have learned of it from the Carthaginans. Although the Romans did not invent crucifixion, they perfected it as a form ....

Middle of Essay
.... on the victim's neck and balanced along both shoulders. Usually, the outstretched arms then were tied to the crossbar. The procession to the site of crucifixion was led by a complete Roman military guard, headed by a centurion. One of the soldiers carried a sign, titulus, on which the condemned man's name and crime were displayed. Later, the titulus would be attached to the top of the cross. At the site of execution, by law, the victim was given a bitter drink of wine mixed with myrrh, gall, as a mild analgesic. The criminal was then thrown to the ground on his back, with his arms outstretched along the patibulum, the hands could be nailed or tied ....