Furca (disciplinary instrument)

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The furca ( lat. , Two-pronged fork) has been a punitive instrument known since antiquity , especially in the Roman Empire , and is formed by two pieces of wood joined together in the shape of a V, which are placed in such a way that the middle of the fork presses against the neck of the punished person while the hands are tied to the front of the thighs of the furca. The Furca had to carry slaves who had committed a crime, as well as parricides and enemies of the state .

A similar instrument was the patibulum , a straight piece of wood laid across the shoulder to which the prisoner's hands were tied. Both punishments were often intensified by the crucifixion , with the prisoner either tied to a double furca - in the shape of an X - or pulled up a beam with the patibulum.

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