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Execution by crucifixion is an extreme punishment that originated in Persia around 500 BC and spread to many regions, including Rome. Some passages in the biblical Old Testament also suggest that the Jews of the time already applied punishment. Alexander the Great spread the act's popularity by storming the city of Tire and crucifying 2,000 of its adult male inhabitants in the 4th century BC. The Carthaginians were the most widely employed of crucifixion, and it is certainly from them that the Romans adopted the practice. However, the Romans did not usually crucify their own citizens, reserving the most extreme punishment for their worst criminals, such as Spartacus and his fellow rebels. In response to the uprising led by Spartacus, the Romans staged one of the largest mass crucifixions in history, killing approximately 6,000 rebellious slaves on crosses along the road from Rome to Capua in the year 71 BC.
