Crucifixion and Death as Spectacle: Umayyad Crucifixion in Its Late Antique Context

Crucifixion and Death as Spectacle: Umayyad Crucifixion in Its Late Antique Context. By Sean W. Anthony. American Oriental Series, vol. 96. New Haven: AMERICAN ORIENTAL SOCIETY, 2014. Pp. x + 99. $39.50.

In this short work Sean Anthony examines crucifixion as a form of punishment in late antiquity, with a focus on the Umayyad era. In his wide-ranging research, Anthony has uncovered a surprisingly rich array of materials on crucifixion that he uses to build the argument that crucifixion was a crucial institution under the Umayyads. The brevity of the work, however, prevents Anthony from delving into the implications of his findings as deeply as he might have, and consequently this contribution must be seen as an initial foray into an important, usually overlooked element of early Islamic practice.

Anthony defines crucifixion broadly to include posthumous crucifixion as a means of desecrating the body in addition to crucifixion as a method of execution. He also emphasizes that the techniques for crucifixion varied and did not always conform to the standard Christian iconographic formula, in which the victim is nailed to a cross as a form of public execution. Instead, Anthony's definition includes any public display of the victim's body (dead or alive) attached to a piece of wood in some manner. He offers descriptions of a number of techniques used, and examines the nuances of the vocabulary of crucifixion in several languages. Despite variations, the key element remains the humiliating public display of the condemned.

Much of the book is devoted to situating Umayyad crucifixion within the traditions of late antiquity. In his chapter addressing Roman crucifixion, Anthony emphasizes that, despite Constantine's ban on the practice, crucifixion continued to be widely used throughout the Roman/Byzantine period. Anthony draws on Greek, Syriac, and...