Cross/Crucifixion

Romans used crucifixion, a painful way to die, to execute criminals who were not citizens of Rome. The feet of the condemned person were nailed to an upright plank of wood with the hands spread across another piece of wood—a crossbeam. Together they formed a cross shape. The condemned person usually had to carry the crossbeam to the site of execution. He was then left to hang until he died of fever and infection. Death usually took two to eight days, but Jesus died in a few hours—perhaps because He had been badly beaten before the crucifixion. The cross later became a symbol for Christians. Many people wear crosses to remind them of Jesus’s death.