While the human mind can be considered a brilliant proof of evolution, it can also produce a terrifying imagination. For centuries, chapters of history have been singing terrible stories of torture, human ruthlessness, and the sadistic pleasure that individuals and groups derive from seeing the suffering of others. If you dare, take a look at the ten cruel ways people were executed in the ancient European world.
Tip: The article is longer, it is recommended to collect it first and then look at yo ~ code words are not easy, thank you for your attention!
The Tenth: The Passion of Jesus – has existed from the ancient world to modern times
The ten greatest tortures began with the crucifixion. This cruel cross criminal law continued from ancient times to the twentieth century. It was first introduced by the Assyrians and Babylonians, followed by the Persians, Alexander the Great, and the Phoenicians, who initiated it in Rome in the third century BC.
Prisoners were tied or nailed to wooden beams or crosses. The nails pass through the bones under the wrist to bear the weight of the person. It's a "brilliant" position because no major blood vessels are hit – only the central nervous system, which causes fingers to grab and hands to bend in painful contractures. The foot is nailed to the vertical part of the cross, and once the leg becomes weaker, the arm must support the body, causing the shoulder to be pulled out of the socket, and the elbow and wrist will soon follow. At this point, the chest must bear the weight of the body, cause breathing problems, and eventually suffocate.
Real-world example:
Jesus Christ – The crucifixion of Jesus took place in the first century of Judea. He was arrested, tried, sentenced, flogged, and then crucified by the Romans.
9. Torture by rats: Eating prisoners alive
Although the rats dancing above were happy, the rat's torture was there when it came to one of the worst methods. The thing about rats is that they eat everything. Therefore, in the ancient world, it is not surprising that humans used them to create torture devices.
Usually, the rats are placed in a small cage next to the victim's abdomen. The cage was heated from the outside—either with candles, burning sticks, or hot coal—and the rats became restless. So, how can it escape? Enter the only soft surface available through grappling – human skin. Soon, the rats would bite into the victim's intestines, causing unbearable pain in the process. This technique effectively obtains information from prisoners and exerts their psychological role, adding a psychological element to torture.
Europe: During the Dutch Uprising in the 17th century, Dutch leader Diederik Sonay used rat torture on prisoners.
South America: Between 1964 and 1990, south American military dictatorships used this method in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Uruguay.
8. Rack: Stretch the body
Another very famous torture device in the ancient world was the shelf. It requires a table, usually wooden, with shafts and levers at both ends. Victims were forced to lie down and then belts were tied to their wrists and heels. A chain or rope was tied to the belt and wrapped around the shaft. One or more torturers would then push the rod slowly, causing the shaft to rotate and create tension in the chain. This causes the belt to penetrate deep into the prisoner's skin and gradually stretch outwards.
The internal physical turbulence that a person would otherwise suffer is difficult to swallow: spinal dilation, joints, muscles, and tendons giving way, posture changes, chest compression of the lungs, broken bones, exposure of nerve endings — pain that is almost unimaginable. As a reward for being "particularly tough", they were placed on a thorny ground and stripped of the flesh above their backs.
England: In 1447, The English sergeant John Exeter used a shelf to torture prisoners in the Tower of London.
Greece: In 356 BC, the Greeks used the device to torture the Greek arsonist Herostratus, who burned down the Temple of Artemis in Ephesus.
7. Keelhauling: Keel transport
In the ancient world, seventh in the brutal way of death was the terrible test of keel transport. The term comes from the Dutch word kielhalen, which means "dragging along the keel" – which is exactly how this torture is carried out. The sailor was stripped, bound and suspended by ropes from the masts of ships, with weights or chains tied to their legs. Ropes wrapped around the boat, and after the sailors were released, they were dragged under the keel. The mortality rate is almost 100%. If the person had not drowned, they would have suffered severe head trauma from repeated slapping of the keel. If they survive and are towed back to the ship, they are also likely to die from a wound infection.
Dutch: The painting above depicts the transport of keels on Dutch ships. The scene shows Admiral Jan VanNess's surgeon strangled before being dragged along the keel. It is well known that the Dutch practiced this practice between 1560 and 1853.
L1: The Royal Navy used this method in the 11th century. Several Seventeenth-century British writers also recorded it on British naval vessels.
Greeks: The Lex Rhodia Maritime Law of 700 BC outlined keel transport as a punishment for acts of piracy.
6. Wheels: Lashing out
Then there's a torture that transcends pain: the wheel—also known as the execution wheel, the broken wheel, or the Catherine wheel. This ruthless device, commonly used in the ancient world, was reserved for public executions. The practice was different, but in general, prisoners were tied to a large wooden spoke wheel. The goal was not to kill them, but to maim them severely, with the executioner whipping from the leg bones and then upwards. They would do this with iron rods, beating the victims to the brink of death, crushing all their bones, and beating them with sticks. Once done, the crippled prisoners will be put back on wheels so that their heels will rest on the back of their necks, where they will end up being left bleeding to death.
Europe: Austria, Great Britain, France, France, France, Germany, Rome, the Indian subcontinent, Russia, Scotland, and Sweden have all recorded punishments on wheels.
In 1348, a Jew named Boehner was tortured on wheels for four days and four nights. This is known to be the person who has survived the longest through this punishment.
An archaeological find found in Milan in 2019, a skeleton believed to have been tortured by the device.
5. Piercing: direct penetration of the body
Many civilizations and cultures have practised this ancient world form of torture. It stabs victims with long, sharp, oil-stained stakes to sentence them to death, quell rebellion, reprimand defectors or eliminate military disobedience in war. There are two ways to approach this approach: portrait or landscape.
For portrait orientation, the person is placed above a nail, which is inserted into a private part of its rear. As the person continues to sink down, the tip of the summit passes through them, avoiding the main organs and leaving through the skin of the shoulder or neck. A person can live like this for a few days. For lateral, stakes pass through the torso from the front to the back or vice versa.
Another version of the punishment is that the victim is thrown into a metal nail, hook or stick, either left on it and dies, or is further tortured by the executioner.
Antiquity: Achemenid Persia, Europe, Mesopotamia and the ancient Near East, the Neo-Assyrian Empire and Pharaoh Egypt were assassinated.
4. Blood Eagle: Giving the victim "wings"
If the other six ancient ways of dying haven't made you squirm yet, welcome to the savage practice of the Blood Eagle. Although it has been inconclusive whether this method of torture is real or merely a literary invention, either way, it is a rather disturbing criminal law. The Blood Eagle Ceremony is first mentioned in late Scardi poetry. Victims will lie prone and remain alive when their backs are cut, ribs are separated from their spines, and lungs form a pair of bloody "wings" through the openings. It is hard to imagine a person who would remain conscious long enough to do the job; however, if this criminal law is true, then this technology does earn its place as one of the most cruel, painful, and horrific ways of dying.
As mentioned earlier, there is no reliable source that can verify the true practices of blood eagles. Nevertheless, the earliest account is in 867 AD, when Ivar the Boneless, son of Viking leader Ragnar Lothbrok, cursed King Aella of Northumbia for killing Ragnar's blood eagle through a pit of living snakes.
3. Molten gold: burned from the inside
Its third-place position is drinking molten gold, an almost unbelievable method of execution. The Romans and the Spanish Inquisition may have done so more frequently than they have documented, especially on both sides of the Atlantic. The penal code speaks for itself: victims are restrained and forced to open their mouths when heated gold is poured into their throats. The result will be severe damage to organs in the body and blistering of the lungs, culminating in immediate death.
South America: In 1599, the indigenous Indians of the Givaro tribe captured a Spanish governor and poured liquid gold into his throat and executed him.
Parthia: The Parthian suffered this fate when he captured the Roman general and statesman Marcus Lisinius Crassus. They allegedly did so to symbolize Crassus' desire for wealth.
Another Roman general and statesman named Manius Aquillius was defeated by Mithridates VI of Pontus and later executed by melting gold.
2. Peeling: Peeling alive
The next method of torture is almost at the forefront of its sadistic modus operandi. Skinning— skinning people alive— was probably the most painful of all the methods of execution in the ancient world because it was slow. Victims are first stripped naked and their hands and feet are restricted from moving. Thereafter, the executioner will begin to peel off the individual's skin with a sharp blade, usually starting from the head, as this area will cause the most pain since the victim is still awake.
In some cases, certain parts of the human body are even boiled, making the skin softer and easier to remove. A person can die from flaking in several ways: shock, loss of blood or fluids, hypothermia, or infection. The time of death can also range from a few hours to a few days. Although it was considered rare in the Middle Ages, the skinned corpse is a message: an eloquent canvas on which punishment for secular authority can be written.
Assyrians, Aztecs, Chinese, and several medieval Europeans practiced flogging.
One of the alleged cases is that of a female philosopher named Alexander Hypatia who was skinned on a marijuana rack by a group of Christian thugs.
1. Roman Candles: The Ultimate Method of Torture in the Ancient World
Roman candles were ranked first in the ancient world for other brutal ways of dying. Whether it's the style of execution itself or the person who ordered the executioner, this is creepy in several ways. History is full of ruthless and psychopathic figures, and the Roman ruler Nero is one of them. He hated Christians so much that he used them as human candles or torches for garden parties.
First, the victims were tied up and nailed to high piles. Then, before the prisoner ignites, pour the flammable liquid on top. Fire begins under their feet to prolong their suffering. Whether Christians rebel against the state or not, this is a terrible path. It reflects the barbaric punishments of antiquity and how they often arise from the "man's" evil self and desire to rule over the lower populations (which he believes).
As mentioned earlier, Nero is known for this method of execution. The above-mentioned painting, The Torch of Nero, depicts a Christian martyr accused of responsibility for the Great Fire in Rome who was about to be burned alive. These candles further represent the first persecution of Christians under Roman sovereignty.
So the question, how do you think it compares with the ten major tortures of the Manchu Qing Dynasty on the mainland!
Don't forget to pay attention to the objectivity of reading it