During archaeological excavations in eastern England in 2017, an extremely rare find was discovered: the heel bone of a man with an iron nail still embedded in it. The remains, designated Skeleton 4926, date from the 3rd-4th century CE and represent some of the best-preserved physical evidence of crucifixion ever discovered.
The find is exceptionally significant because archaeological evidence of this form of execution is extremely rare. Crucifixion victims were typically not buried in a manner that would preserve their remains, and in many cases, ropes were used to secure the condemned to the cross instead of nails. The preserved bone with the embedded nail thus provides direct and highly evocative evidence of one of the cruelest punishments inflicted in the Roman Empire.
