"When
they began to rip off her clothing, she whimpered and fought in vain to hang
onto the shreds of cloth. To
the crowd, it appeared that she was trying to hold onto the last vestige of
modesty. But Fulvia knew the
ritual of crucifixion, and her mind screamed when
I’m naked they will nail me to the cross.
And
then she was naked, and the calloused hands of the soldiers gripped her soft
flesh and forced her down onto the waiting timber..."
In the
Roman world where cruelty, torture and agonizing death were entertainment,
and where those condemned to die could be burned, impaled, boiled in oil, or
torn apart by wild beasts, the cross was universally known as the very worst
punishment of all. And the
Romans made no allowances as to sex, crucifying women as readily as men.
Nailing
the naked victim to the cross was only the beginning of the slow torture
that could go on for days. All
modesty was soon forgotten as she writhed and struggled desperately before
the crowd in search of any relief from the searing agony of the nails in her
wrists and feet and the pointed cornu between her legs. Fighting
even to take her next breath, she filled her lungs so that she could scream,
moan, or plead in vain for the mercy of a soldier’s spear to end her
suffering. She was naked and
completely helpless before the burning sun, the biting insects and tortures
that were limited only by the imagination of the executioner.
Take a
voyage into the ancient Roman world and view erotic scenes of beautiful,
naked women on public display as they sweat and struggle in agony on the
cross. “Crucifictions” is a
collection of forty artistic renderings of women suffering on the cross,
each accompanied by the story of why she deserved this punishment – or why
she didn’t. Christian
martyrs, Jewish rebels, conquered Gauls, slave girls and criminals,
“Crucifictions” vividly portrays the horror and erotic fascination of
the executions of ancient Rome through Damian’s artwork, based on
Makkar’s photography and joined with stories by Jedakk.
A
COLLECTOR'S ITEM!