How and wia crucifixion begin?

Jesus na di most famous pesin wey die for cross, but dis gruesome punishment bin don already dey for many many centuries bifor dem born am.

"Of di three most brutal ways to execute somebody for olden days, dem consider crucifixion as di worst," Louise Cilliers, wey be author and research fellow of classical culture for di University of the Free State, South Africa, tell BBC.

"Burning and beheading follow."

"E bin be combination of total wickedness and spectacle toterrorise pipo as much as possible," Diego Perez Gondar, wey be associate professor for di Faculty of Theology for University of Navarra, Spain add.

In many cases, di death of di victim dey oocur only few days afta dem crucify am, in front of di curious eyes of any passers-by.

Di body bin dey experiecne mixture of suffocation, blood loss, dehydration, and failure of different organs, among oda problems.

But wetin we sabi about wia and how crucifixion first come?

More than 500 years before Christ

Dr Cilliers believe say crucifixion fit originate from di Assyrians and Babylonians - two great civilisations wey bin once live for wetin we sabi today as di Middle East.

She also believe say di Persians bin dey use di method of execution "systematically" for di sixth century BC.

Prof Perez point out say di oldest information wey dey available come from various Assyrian palace decorations.

"On di walls e get drawings wey represent battles and conquests and di way wey dem take execute prisoners crucifixion for."

For 2003, Dr Cilliers co-write one article about di history and pathology of crucifixion, wey dem publish for South African Medical Journal.

She explain say Persians bin dey do crucifixions on trees or poles instead of cross proper.

"Combining di death penalty wit mockery of di pesin wey dem convict and inhuman death dey frequent. One of di techniques na to leave dem hanging from tree so dem go die of suffocation and exhaustion," Prof Perez add.

Dissemination

For di fourth Century BC, Alexander di Great bring di punishment to di kontris of di eastern Mediterranean.

"Alexander and im men attack di city of Tyre (for present-day Lebanon), wey bin dey more or less difficult to penetrate," Dr Cilliers say.

"Wen dem finally enta, dem crucify about 2,000 pipo wey dey lice for di city."

Alexander di Great successors introduce di punishment to Egypt and Syria, as well as Carthage, di great North African citywey Phoenicians bin establish.

During di Punic Wars (264-146BC), di Romans learn di technique and "perfect am for 500 years", according to di researcher.

"Di Roman legions practise crucifixion any wia dem bin go," she tok.

And for some places wia dem bin implement di kain capital punishment, di local pipo accept am.

For di year 9AD, di German general Arminius order di crucifixion of Roman soldiers following im victory for di Battle of Teutoburg Forest, wey represent di humiliating defeat wey di Romans chop for di hands of di Germanic tribes.

For di year 60AD, Boudicca, queen of one ancient British tribe wey dem know as Iceni, led one major revolt against diinvading Romans and crucify many of dia legionaries.

Holy Land

For ancient Israel, dis kain punishment dem bin don dey use am bifor di arrival of di Romans.

"We get pipo wey speak of crucifixions bifor di Roman conquest of di Holy Land," Prof Perez say.

One of dem na Roman-Jewish historian, politician, and soldier Flavius Josephus, wey dem born for Jerusalem for di first century AD.

For im accounts of di reign of Alexander Jannaeus (125BC-76BC), wey rule di Jews for 27 years, im mention one mass crucifixion for around 88BC.

"While im bin dey celebrate wit im concubines for one place wia evri body fit see dem, im orer di crucifixion of about 800 Jews, as well as di killing of dia children and wives before di eyes of di unfortunate one wey bin still dey alive," Flavius Josephus write.

Di Romans

But according to Dr Cilliers, di Romans dey among di ones wey dey use variety of cross for dis kain punishment - including di one wey im shape be like X.

"However, for most cases dem bin use di well-known Latin cross or tau (t-shape cross). Dis cross fit dey high, but low once dey more common. Dem dey come in for of upright post (stipes for Latin) and one crossbar (patibulum)."

Di pesin dey dem go execute dem go force am to carry di horizontal part of di cross to wia dem go do di execution.

"If dem no naked di pesin, dem go remove dia clothes and make dem lie down on dia back and extend dia hand along di patibulum."

Brutal procedure

Dem go den tie dia arms to di to di beam or hammer nail enta dia wrist to peg am to di beam.

Dem no dey usually put di nails inside di palms of di victim as di nail fit tear through di victim flesh sake of di weight of im body, whereas di bones of di wrist and forearms go hold di nail for im place.

Nails fit to measure reach 8cm long and 1cm thick.

Wen dem attach di condemned pesin to di horizontal beam, dem go lift am up and fix am to di vertical post, wey dem don already bury inside ground.

Dem fit tie nail di feeet to di vertical post, one on each side or both at di same time, one on top of di oda.

In dat case, di authors explain, dem dey drive one single nail through di metatarsal bones of both feet, while dem flex di knees.

You no fit imagine di pain.

"Many nerves go dey affected," Professor Perez tok.

"You have to force your legs for you to dey able to sit up and breathe."

In doing so, "dem dey loss a lot of blood and dem dey get tremendous pain, but if you no do so, you die of suffocation."

For many cases na slow death, wey dey occur afta many organs don fail.

Dr Cilliers explain say na circulatory collapse dey cause am due to hypovolemic shock - victims dey suffer decreased blood volume (hypovolemia) from traumatic blood loss and dehydration, but maybe mainly from respiratory failure.

Many dey die from suffocation

Hours, days of agony

Di cruelty of di execution bin dey worse due to di fact say many of di pipo wey dem crucify take days to die, although dem also fit perish in a mata of hours - for Bible, e say Jesus bin last six hours.

"In some cases, wetin di soldiers bin dey do to make di death sharp na to hit dia knees and break dia legs. In dis way, di condemned no go fit raise demsef to breathe by using di muscles of dia legs, dis bin make dem die faster," say Prof Perez.

According to di biblical account, di Roman soldiers take dis measures wit di two criminals wey dem bin crucify wit Jesus, but not wit m becos im bin do already die.

"Jesus bin do already chop beating wit scourges, one kain cane wey get metal and sharp bones [for di end of di strips]. Im bin loss plenty blood. In fact, e bin get pipo wey dey die from di scourging alone," di lecturer tok.

'Worst enemies'

Crucifixion bin try to "expose and humiliate" di condemned, Prof Perez tok.

"E bin be death wey dem reserve for di worst enemy to make am clear say di Romans no wan see anyone committing di same crime."

E bin mostly apply to slaves and foreigners, but very rarely to Roman citizens.

"Crucifixion for many cases bin dey associated wit treason, military revolts, terrorism and some crime wey for lead to bloodshed."

For dat reason, Prof Perez say e dey really significant say dem crucify Jesus.

"But e also dey striking say dem bin see am as danger."

"And those wey n want di world to change not only try to end am, but wit di way wey dem decide execute am, dem try to make am clear say [im message] no go continue."

Abolition

Roman Emperor Constantine I abolish crucifixion for di fourth Century AD, and become di first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity.

Im legalise di religion and im followers gain privileges wey traditional religions lost, leading to di Christianisation of di Roman Empire.

However, di punishment bin still continue for oda places.

For 1597, for Japan, dem crucify 26 missionaries, beginning one long period of persecution against Christians for dat kontri.

Yet, despite im cruel past, di cross represents for Christians, symbol of sacrifice in di name of love.