Barbaric Methods of Ancient Execution by Shaun Porter Read Free Book Online

Fawkes, who you might know from his role in the infamous gunpowder plot (or as the guy from the mask in V for Vendetta ), was actually sentenced to be hanged, drawn and quartered; however, just before he was hanged he leapt headfirst into the crowd, breaking his neck and killing himself instantly, allowing him to avoid the tortures that lay ahead.

 
     
     
     
     
    2 – Brazen Bull

 
    The Brazen Bull is an incredible, yet gruesome, method of execution that doubled as a torture device too.
 
    It was used by the Ancient Greeks , and, if anyone doubts how important public executions were as a form of entertainment for ancient civilizations, this device alone is proof: everything about this remarkably twisted creation is pure theatre.
 
    Every minute detail of the devices construction was carefully considered in an effort to create the biggest spectacle possible, without a second thought given to the poor victim ’s suffering. There were awe-inspiring visuals, sound effects and an execution to boot; there were even smells! What more could the ancient people want?!
 
    The Brazen Bull itself was a hollowed out brass bull, built with a door in its side to allow the condemned to enter its confines, completely naked (of course). Once inside, the bull structure was placed over an open fire. The fire would gradually cause the bull’s metallic belly to heat up, and this would eventually glow a bright orange.
 
    As we all know, metal conducts heat , and this was bad news for the person inside: there was no escape from the red hot metal burning his naked skin. This would start one of the most painful deaths imaginable, as the condemned was slowly roasted alive inside the bull.
 
    I know what you’re probably thinking: that all sounds rather gruesome, but where are all the special effects I was promised?
 
    Well, t he bull was designed so that the metal got so hot that the condemned man’s flesh would burn to a crisp and begin to smoke. As the smoke rose, the bull was ventilated in such a way that the smoke would escape from the structure through the nostrils of the bull. They even burnt incense to mask the smell of burning flesh as much as possible!
 
    Inside the bull there was also a complex system of tubes, ensuring that the condemned prisoner’s final agonising screams would bellow out of the sculpture, creating the incredible illusion that the bull itself was roaring for the on-looking public!
 
    Putting it all that together, the audience were treated to a spectacular glowing, smoking, roaring bull.
 
    The device was the brain-child of a man called Perilaus, a brass worker from Athens, in around 600 BC. Clearly a lot of thought had gone into the design, and you have to question just how messed up a person has to be to imagine something so barbaric; you get a sense that he almost enjoyed the suffering of the condemned.
 
    Ironically, poor Perilaus himself was actually executed inside a Brazen Bull.

 
     
     
     
     
    1 – Scaphism

 
    Scaphism was a method of execution used by the ancient Persians, in around 500 BC. This was almost certainly the most twisted method of execution ever devised, designed to torture the condemned to an unimaginable extent, whilst also keeping them alive for as long as physically possible.
 
    First, the victim was stripped naked and placed inside either two long boats, securely fastened together; or a hollowed out tree trunk. They were tied down, with their hands, feet and head protruding out of the wooden confines.
 
    Next, the person was forced to consume dodgy milk and huge quantities of honey, which was also smeared across the exposed appendages.
 
    Finally, the boat was floated out onto a stagnant pond, absolutely teeming with insects.
 
    The Persians waited.
 
    It didn’t take long before the spoiled milk inevitably gave the condemned a serious case of diarrhoea; because he was tied down securely, there was little he could do control this and he would be