Britain’s crucification victim facial reconstruction

[guy]

This is a followup to the unusual skeleton of a man  found in Fenstanton, Cambridgeshire in 2017 who was the victim of Roman crucification (see post below). 

A facial reconstruction has been completed by a US forensic expert.

Quote

 

Analysis of the remains revealed he spent his whole life in the Cambridgeshire area, and most likely had brown hair and eyes.

It also suggested he was a manual worker, possibly working on processing bone marrow for candles or soaps from the many animal bones found on the site. 

 

 

 

 

 

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-cambridgeshire-67943596

 

 

Pottery items found at dig:

Edited January 26 by guy

[guidoLaMoto]

Crucifixion is, of course, mentioned on multiple occasions in the ancient literature, but nowhere is it described in any detail nor pictured in contemporary works of art. 

There are some anatomical and physical objections to crucifixion having been performed as we are accustomed to seeing it pictured in Christian art.

IIRC, there are two other ankle bones, found in Israel, with nails thru them-- one  traversing the calcaneus from  outside to inside, and the other the opposite. The one pictured above from Britain has the nail coursing from front to back (top to bottom) as in the religious depictions. (The picture is "upside down"-- that bulge near the top margin of the picture is the weight bearing surface of the heel bone. Irritation there is the classic "heel spur."

Hangmen in those days were apparently not held to strict federal guidelines for crucifixions and were free to improvise.....Probably the easiest way to crucify a victim would have been to attach him to an X shaped cross, spread eagle like we always see the troopers being tortured tied to a wagon wheel in cowboy movies....no need to dig a deep hole to plant an upright T shaped rig.

"Crucify" is from "Crux"- which is really translated as "gallows." English "cross" is really an incorrect derivation in that sense. https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/morph?l=crux&la=la&can=crux0

[guy]

20 hours ago, guidoLaMoto said:

(The picture is "upside down"-- that bulge near the top margin of the picture is the weight bearing surface of the heel bone. Irritation there is the classic "heel spur."

Too funny. Thanks for your attention to my post. Having taken a whole semester of anatomy, one would think I would have noticed that the foot bone was upside down.

(An X-ray of an otherwise healthy foot)

 

 

Edited January 27 by guy