[Monkeydad]

Correct. The act of crucifying (historically) was not death by bleeding or from the nails, but more of a suffocation and literal drowning. They were tied as you said, because joints would often come dislocated and they wanted them to remain on the cross to die slowly. Some crosses were also more of a 'Y" shape to put more pressure on the lungs and make it more difficult to breathe so they'd fill with fluid. Many hanging on the cross would have a nail below or through their ankles/feet that they'd have to use to push themselves up to take a breath of air...sounds horribly painful. When pierced (like Jesus), the water that was recorded to come out was the fluid from the lungs. He was not pierced to see if he was dead, it was to make sure he was.