In the absence of better findings, this is also good for today.. Crucifixion iron nail/spike, incredible 23 cm..
Horrible and fascinating at the same time. If you buy an undented sling bullet you know it never hurt anybody. With an arrowhead, you hope for it. But it's difficult to miss with one of those nails...
Incredible discovery @galba68 . Here is a Roman nail (12 cm) in a heel bone found in Jerusalem in 1968. The name of the poor guy was Yehohanan.
Neat.. I recently watched a Brazilian soap opera with Spanish voiceover that was set in Roman times. In one scene a Roman would go to a certain Blacksmith to get Crucifixion Nails that he manufactured by hand. They were about the same size as the one you found. They needed to be long enough to support the victim in place.
If I'm not mistaken, although there are many historical references, this fragment of a heel bone with a nail and wood fragments, is the only physical evidence of crucifixion that has so far been discovered.
There is another "proof" found in Italy: https://www.ancient-origins.net/new...leton-evidence-crucifixion-discovered-0010173
I wonder if it was normal to try to go through the heel bone? There are accounts of a few people surviving crucifixion, having been taken down after a day or so. Have to wonder what sort of permanent injuries they had afterwards.
Now imagine that hammered through your wrist through the left or right side of a Roman cross. Yeeeouch, that must really hurt.
In Italy it might just be some mafia gunner having shot their own foot Q PS : amazing finds, my wrists and ankles are painful now !!
