1. The Brazen Bull
image credits via wikipedia
The Brazen Bull was invented by Perilaus of Athens (a Brass worker) in the 6th Century BC and offered to Phalaris, Tyrant of Agrigentum, as a gift. It was a large brass bull that was completely hollow inside with a door on the side large enough for a man to enter. Once the man was inside the bull, a fire would be lit beneath it in order to roast him to death. In the head of the bull, Perilaus put a series of tubes and stops that were designed to amplify the screams of the victim and make them sound like the roar of a bull. Perilaus was tricked in to entering the bull by Phalaris, who was horrified at how the inventor lauded the device, though the unfortunate inventor was removed from the Bull before he died and thrown off a cliff. The Brazen Bull became one of the most common methods of execution in Ancient Greece.
2. The Breaking Wheel
image credits
This wheel of torture was used to kill criminals and it did that very slowly. This device was a large wagon wheel. The criminal would be tied to the wheel, where the punisher would proceed to use a hammer to break the bones of the other person. Once that was completed, they were left there to die and even the birds would peck at their flesh until death was complete.
3. The Judas cradle
image credits via Wikipedia
The Judas Cradle, a terrible medieval torture where the victim would be placed on top of a pyramid-like seat. The victim’s feet were tied to each other in a way that moving one leg would force the other to move as well – increasing pain.
The triangular-shaped end of the judas cradle was inserted in the victim’s anus or vagina. This torture could last, depending on some factors discussed below, anywhere from a few hours to complete days.
The time it took someone to die varied enormously from individual to individual. Torturers would sometimes add weight to the victim’s legs as to increase pain and hurry the victim’s death. Other torturers would place oil on the device which increased pain considerably. This device was rarely, if at all, washed. If the victim did not die quickly enough, or their painful execution was interrupted, they would invariantly die from an infection.
4. The Iron Maiden
image credits
This iron cabinet with a hinged front was made to be a tall upright cabinet that would enclose a human being. It would have a small opening, which was closeable, so the interrogator would be able to open and close it at their will. They would then poke the bodies of the person with a sharp object. They would use knives, spikes, or nails and the person inside was forced to remain standing in one position, ultimately causing their demise
5. The gruesome act of Flaying
image credits
Flaying is a very old torture method that was used thousands of years ago in the Middle East, Africa and even America. During the Middle Ages, it was frequently used to torture and execute criminals, captured soldiers and witches. In one version of the Flaying Torture, the victim’s arms were tied to a pole above his head while his feet were tied below. His body was now completely exposed and the torturer, with the help of a small knife, peeled off the victim’s skin slowly. In most cases, the torturer peeled off his facial skin first, slowly working his way down to the victim’s feet. Most victims died before the torturer even reached their waist. In another version, the victim was submerged into boiling water and was taken out after a few minutes. He was slowly flayed.
6. The terror of The Rack
image credits
This device is an oblong rectangle with a wooden frame. It was raised from the ground with a roller either at one end or at both ends. One end had a fixed bar, where the feet were locked onto it, and the other end had a moveable bar, where the hands were tied to it. It had a lever that was used as the interrogation progressed. It was on a lever and pulley system that would eventually cause the joints of the person being tortured to dislocate and then separate. Eventually, the muscle fibers, ligaments, and cartilage would break separating the limbs from the body of the condemned.
7. the utterly cruel Torture chair
image credits
Just looking at the “chair” will make a person understand why medieval torture is so terrible. The unlucky victim would be forced to sit down on the chair. The stick that can be seen in the leg-level of the chair has a handle that was intended to push the victim’s legs even harder against the tips. If this wasn’t enough, a similar device can also be seen for the hands, back and feet. This way of torture was normally used to make a person confess anything. If he told the truth, he’d be given a quick death. If he refused, the torturer could turn the handle a little bit more, and the victim would feel an indescribable pain.
The victim would be alive until his blood slowly drained out of his body. This took a while because the tips themselves–and the pressure being exerted on the victim–would stop the blood from pouring out rapidly. This truly was an excruciatingly painful process.
No comments:
Post a Comment