Crucifixion is an ancient method of execution, where the condemned is tied or nailed to a large wooden cross and left to hang until dead.
This form of execution was widely practiced in Ancient Rome and in neighbouring Mediterranean cultures; similar methods were invented in the Persian Empire.
Crucifixion was used by the Romans until about AD 313, when Christianity was legalized in the Roman Empire and soon became the official state religion; however, it has been used in various places in modern times.
A crucifix, an image of Christ crucified on a cross, is for most Christians the main symbol of their religion, but some Protestant Christians prefer to use a cross without the figure of Christ.