AHC: Romans Adopt Brazen Bull as Primary form of Execution?

The challenge is to get the Romans to adopt the Brazen Bull as the primary form execution (as opposed to crucifixion) for criminals.

What effect does this have on crime and punishment in the empire?

Could you see Christianity adopting a bronze bull (ignoring the religious precedent of doing so) as the symbol of the faith if Jesus is likewise scentenced to death in one?
 
Few problems with this
1) The Romans considered crucifixion to be the most shameful and disgraceful way to die so it was used to execute slaves, pirates and those considered enemies of the state.
2) As terrible as being roasted alive is, the condemned was still inside the bull so any witnesses couldn't actually see the person being roasted (granted they could hear their screams).
3) Crucifixion wasn't just to execute the criminal, it was also to serve as a warning to others to show what happened so they'd have to see the victims' suffering.
4) Although Jesus died in less than a day on the cross, it usually could take up to several days for the condemned to die, depending on their physical health and the environment they were crucified in.
5) Because the guards weren't allowed to leave the execution site until the condemned was dead, they'd often do something to speed up the process (deliberately breaking the legs, stabbing the victim or even building a fire under the cross so the victim would asphyxiate).
 
One problem is that for crucifixion you basically only need a couple of pieces of wood & a few nails or some rope while the 'Brazen Bull' sounds like a much more cumbersome apparatus.
 
I could see the Brazen Bull being used in the arena as part of the Gladiator Games. Romans were very inventive with public executions and the crowds loved a spectacle. So if the Brazen Bull proved a hit, they would make it part of the Games or Circus.
 
I could see the Brazen Bull being used in the arena as part of the Gladiator Games. Romans were very inventive with public executions and the crowds loved a spectacle. So if the Brazen Bull proved a hit, they would make it part of the Games or Circus.

Outside of the screams I'd image it'd be boring to the Romans though. Roasting someone takes quite a long time and like others have said, theirs no visual spectacle to accompany it.
 
You still have to waste all that effort on making the damn thing between all the metal and the wood to stoke the fire, when crucifixion requires a couple of planks and make some rope and/or nails. The brazen bull is an amusing method of execution, but seems only a sideshow for what crucifixion can do.
 
One problem is that for crucifixion you basically only need a couple of pieces of wood & a few nails or some rope while the 'Brazen Bull' sounds like a much more cumbersome apparatus.
Even if you simplified it to a simple metal barrel, that's very heavy and cumbersome to drag around.
 
Even if you simplified it to a simple metal barrel, that's very heavy and cumbersome to drag around.

All fair assessments.
Though for some reason Im imaging a long row of lit Brazen Bulls along the Appian Way (to punish the Spartacus Revolt for instance) as a far more imposing than wooden crosses.
 
Big advantage of the cross is that you can let the guy on it rot. Sends a nice message to everyone. It is very spectacular.

Of course, a hall of the brazen bulls would be quite a hellish place to traverse and would leave quite an impression but it doesn't last as long and can't be seen from quite as far away
 

Red Orm

Banned
All fair assessments.
Though for some reason Im imaging a long row of lit Brazen Bulls along the Appian Way (to punish the Spartacus Revolt for instance) as a far more imposing than wooden crosses.

The entire countryside would smell like pork for days afterward.
 
Though for some reason Im imaging a long row of lit Brazen Bulls along the Appian Way (to punish the Spartacus Revolt for instance) as a far more imposing than wooden crosses.

The Brazen Bull is a quite complex construction, just for the sound. You can't produce in some hours the amount needed to spontaneously execute 1,000 slaves, even not a dozen of them.
So you need to store the bulls, and then bring them to the place where you need them. So after the Spartacus revolt, it would've taken some days until all the bulls were brought from Rome (with in insane amount of chariots).

In contrast, you can construct some hundred crosses during one day, as long as you have enough soldiers to get the wood.

And, just for curiousity, where do you get the money for all brass and bronze needed for the bulls?
 
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