It appears to have been a form of punishment borrowed by the Romans from elsewhere, probably Carthage. As a Roman penalty it is first attested in the Punic Wars. It was normally confined to slaves, and in the later Empire to the lower classes; it was not applied to soldiers, except in cases of desertion. Constantine the Great abolished the penalty. The method of execution admitted variations, but the general practice was to begin with flagellation of the condemned, who was then compelled to carry a cross-beam to the place of execution, where a stake had been firmly fixed in the ground. He was stripped and fastened to the cross-beam by nails or cords and the beam was drawn up by ropes until the man's feet were clear of the ground. The beam was then fastened to the upright. Some support for the body was provided by a ledge (sedile) which projected from the upright, but a foot-rest (suppedaneum) is rarely attested, though the feet were sometimes tied or nailed. Death probably occurred through exhaustion: this could be hastened by breaking the legs (crurifragium). A military guard was normally posted at the place or execution. After removal of the body the cross was usually destroyed.