»... kam der erste Stoß bei nahe an die Mitte des Haubts, ... die 2 andern Stöße ... im Genicke«

Die spätmittelalterlich-frühneuzeitliche Todesstrafe des Räderns im archäologischen Befund

Abstract

»... kam der erste Stoß bei nahe an die Mitte des Haubts, ... die 2 andern Stöße ... im Genicke«. The Late Medieval-Early Modern Death Penalty of the Breaking Wheel in the Archaeological Record
Corporal and capital punishments from the end of the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period are known from written sources – from laws as well as from imposed and effected sentences: hanging, beheading, the breaking wheel and many more. Archaeology has unearthed numerous remains of delinquents who were hanged by chains and ropes or beheaded by the executioner’s sword. On the other hand, skeletal remains of wrongdoers who had been wheeled to death are extremely rare. The present paper compiles the certain findings of wheeled execution victims and offers an explanation for their rarity.