The most brutal executions in the world. The most cruel and painful execution. The most brutal executions in alcatraz Hanging by the ribs

Top 10 sophisticated and cruel executions invented by people

Since ancient times, people have come up with more and more sophisticated methods of execution, since death was not only a punishment, but also a real show. People went to watch the execution in much the same way as we now go to a concert.

And the more torment she delivered to the executed, the more public she gathered. We've rounded up ten of the creepiest and most painful killing methods people have ever come up with.

Col

This sophisticated execution came from the east, but was also successfully used in Eastern Europe. The meaning is that a sharpened stake was inserted into the victim's anus, and then the person was placed vertically, and he drove the stake deeper and deeper with his own weight, tearing his insides. Sometimes they used not a sharp, but a stake rounded at the end, so that it would not pierce, but go deeper. Sometimes the depth of entry was limited by a transverse bar so that the stake did not reach the heart and vital organs - in this case, the unfortunate person could die from blood loss for up to several days.

Hook

In Rus', hanging on a hook was practiced. Basically, this execution was applied to the robbers and served as an edification for the rest, so that they understand that the “high road” will not lead to good things. A hook was stuck under the ribs of the condemned and hung up. The hands were tied behind the back so that the victim could not get out. A person could hang like this for several days, until he dies.

Burning at the stake

This is a favorite method of the Holy Inquisition used to execute heretics and witches. It was believed that fire cleanses the soul and contributes to its salvation. But the legend of purification does not lessen the cruelty of such an execution. First, all the hair on the face of a person was burned, then the tissues began to burn. At the same time, the executed inhaled hot air and thereby burned his lungs. The scientist Giordano Bruno, the famous Joan of Arc and many other worthy people died with this terrible, painful death.

Bamboo

This execution was invented in Asia. People noticed that bamboo grows at an incredible rate - up to thirty centimeters per day, and decided to use this property for killing. The victim was laid on his back on top of bamboo shoots and tied. During the day, the plant slowly grew through the human body, penetrating it with dozens of sprouts. Horrible, painful death.

blood eagle

This demonstrative execution was used among the Scandinavian tribes. The victim's ribs near the spine were cut with an ax on both sides, then they were bent and the lungs were taken out through the holes. In this state, with the lungs outward, a person could still live for some time. The execution is called the "Red Eagle", because the protruding lungs resembled the wings of an eagle.

Flaying

In the Middle Ages, the execution performed several functions at once. For the executed - this is a punishment, and for the rest - entertainment and edification. That is why such executions were often public and gathered a huge number of spectators. The worse the punishment, the better. Skinning is probably one of the most spectacular methods of killing. A person was skinned alive, which was then nailed to a wall in a public place as a reminder that punishment was inevitable and would be applied to anyone who broke the law.

gutting

Also a very effective way to slowly kill a person. The offender's stomach was cut open and the insides were taken out. The task of the executioner was to keep the victim alive as long as possible. The intestines could be wound on a stick or roller. There are cases when the gut was nailed to a tree and a person was forced to walk around it, slowly winding itself around the trunk.

Rats

In this execution, the executioners used not only torment with pain, but also the animal fear of a person. A cage with rats was tied to the victim with a door to the body, and then they began to heat the cage with coals. Rats in a panic began to rush around the cage in search of a way out. As a result, they began to tear human flesh, gnawing the skin, bones, entrails, and went free either through the stomach, gnawing through the person, or through the mouth.

With the development of civilization, human life has gained value regardless of social status and wealth. It is all the more terrible to read about the black pages of history, when the law did not just deprive a person of life, but turned the execution into a spectacle for the amusement of ordinary people. In other cases, the execution could be of a ritual or instructive nature. Unfortunately, there are similar episodes in modern history. We have compiled a list of the most brutal executions ever practiced by humans.

Executions of the Ancient World

Skafism

The word "skafism" is derived from the ancient Greek word "trough", "boat", and the method itself went down in history thanks to Plutarch, who described the execution of the Greek ruler Mithridates at the behest of Artaxerxes, the king of the ancient Persians.

First, a person was stripped naked and tied inside two dugout boats in such a way that the head, arms and legs remained outside, which were thickly smeared with honey. The victim was then forcibly fed a mixture of milk and honey to induce diarrhea. After that, the boat was lowered into stagnant water - a pond or lake. Lured by the smell of honey and sewage, the insects clung to the human body, slowly devoured the flesh and laid their larvae in the formed gangrenous ulcers. The victim remained alive for up to two weeks. Death came from three factors: infection, exhaustion and dehydration.

Execution by impalement was invented in Assyria (modern Iraq). In this way, residents of rebellious cities and women who had an abortion were punished - then this procedure was considered infanticide.

The execution was carried out in two ways. In one version, the convict was pierced in the chest with a stake, in the other, the tip of the stake passed through the body through the anus. Tormented people were often depicted in bas-reliefs as an edification. Later, this execution began to be used by the peoples of the Middle East and the Mediterranean, as well as the Slavic peoples and some European ones.

Execution by elephants

This method was used mainly in India and Sri Lanka. Indian elephants lend themselves well to training, which was used by the rulers of Southeast Asia.

There were many ways to kill a person with an elephant. For example, armor with sharp spears was put on the tusks, with which the elephant pierced the criminal and then, still alive, tore it apart. But most often, elephants were trained to press down the convict with their foot and alternately tear off the limbs with their trunk. In India, a guilty person was often simply thrown at the feet of an angry animal. For reference, an Indian elephant weighs about 5 tons.

Tradition to the beasts

Behind the beautiful phrase "Damnatio ad bestias" lies the painful death of thousands of ancient Romans, especially among the early Christians. Although, of course, this method was invented long before the Romans. Usually lions were used for execution, less popular were bears, panthers, leopards and buffaloes.

There were two types of punishment. Often a person sentenced to death was tied to a post in the middle of a gladiatorial arena and wild animals were lowered onto it. There were also variations: they threw it to a cage to a hungry animal or tied it to its back. In another case, the unfortunate was forced to fight against the beast. From the weapons they had a simple spear, and from the "armor" - a tunic. In both cases, many spectators gathered for the execution.

death on the cross

The crucifixion was invented by the Phoenicians, an ancient people of seafarers who lived in the Mediterranean. Later, this method was adopted by the Carthaginians, and then by the Romans. The Israelites and Romans considered death on the cross to be the most shameful, because inveterate criminals, slaves and traitors were executed in this way.

Before crucifixion, a person was undressed, leaving only a loincloth. He was beaten with leather whips or freshly cut rods, after which he was forced to carry a cross weighing about 50 kilograms to the place of crucifixion. Having dug a cross into the ground near the road outside the city or on a hill, a person was lifted with ropes and nailed to a horizontal bar. Sometimes the convict's legs were crushed with an iron rod beforehand. Death came from exhaustion, dehydration or pain shock.

After the prohibition of Christianity in feudal Japan in the 17th century. crucifixion was used against visiting missionaries and Japanese Christians. The scene of execution on the cross is present in Martin Scorsese's drama Silence, which tells about this period.

Bamboo execution

The ancient Chinese were champions of sophisticated torture and execution. One of the most exotic methods of killing is the stretching of the culprit over the growing shoots of young bamboo. The sprouts made their way through the human body for several days, causing incredible suffering to the executed.

ling chi

"Ling-chi" is translated into Russian as "bites of the sea pike." There was another name - "death by a thousand cuts." This method was used during the reign of the Qing Dynasty, and high-ranking officials convicted of corruption were executed in this way. Every year, 15-20 people were recruited.

The essence of "ling-chi" is the gradual cutting off of small parts from the body. For example, after cutting off one phalanx of the finger, the executioner cauterized the wound and then proceeded to the next one. How many pieces to cut off from the body, the court determined. The most popular verdict was cutting into 24 pieces, and the most notorious criminals were sentenced to 3,000 cuts. In such cases, the victim was given opium to drink: so she did not lose consciousness, but the pain made its way even through the veil of drug intoxication.

Sometimes, as a sign of special mercy, the ruler could order the executioner to first kill the condemned with one blow and torture the corpse already. This method of execution was practiced for 900 years and was banned in 1905.

Executions of the Middle Ages

blood eagle

Historians question the existence of the Blood Eagle execution, but it is mentioned in Scandinavian folklore. This method was used by the inhabitants of the Scandinavian countries in the early Middle Ages.

The harsh Vikings killed their enemies as painfully and symbolically as possible. The man's hands were tied and laid on his stomach on a stump. The skin on the back was carefully cut with a sharp blade, then the ribs were pryed with an ax, breaking them out in a shape resembling eagle wings. After that, the lungs were removed from the still living victim and hung on the ribs.

This execution is shown twice in the Vikings series with Travis Fimmel (in episode 7 of season 2 and episode 18 of season 4), although the audience noted the contradictions between the serial execution and the one described in the Elder Edda folklore.

"Bloody Eagle" in the series "Vikings"

Tearing by trees

Such an execution was widespread in many regions of the world, including in Rus' in the pre-Christian period. The victim was tied by the legs to two inclined trees, which were then abruptly released. One of the legends says that Prince Igor was killed by the Drevlyans in 945 - because he wanted to collect tribute from them twice.

Quartering

The method was used as in medieval Europe. Each limb was tied to horses - the animals tore the sentenced into 4 parts. In Rus', they also practiced quartering, but this word meant a completely different execution - the executioner alternately chopped off his legs with an ax, then his hands, and then his head.

wheeling

Wheeling as a form of the death penalty was widely used in France and Germany during the Middle Ages. In Russia, this type of execution is also known at a later time - from the 17th to the 19th centuries. The essence of the punishment was that at first the guilty person was tied to the wheel, facing the sky, fixing his arms and legs on the knitting needles. After that, his limbs were broken and in this form they were left to die in the sun.

Flaying

Flaying, or skinning, was invented in Assyria, then passed to Persia and spread throughout the ancient world. In the Middle Ages, the Inquisition improved this type of execution - with the help of a device called the "Spanish tickler", a person's skin was torn into small pieces, which were not difficult to tear off.

Welded alive

This execution was also invented in antiquity and received a second wind in the Middle Ages. So they executed mostly counterfeiters. A person convicted of counterfeiting money was thrown into a cauldron of boiling water, tar or oil. This variety was quite humane - the offender quickly died from pain shock. More sophisticated executioners put the condemned man in a cauldron of cold water, which was heated gradually, or slowly lowered him into boiling water, starting with his feet. The welded muscles of the legs were moving away from the bones, and the man was still alive.

Execution by rats

The prisoner's legs and arms were tightly tied to a metal bench, and a cage with rats with a broken bottom was placed on his stomach. Then the executioner brought the burner to the cage, and the animals in a panic began to look for a way out. And he was only one - through the body of the victim.

Modern executions

Dissolution in acid

It is generally accepted that the Sicilian mafia began to dissolve the victims in acid. In this regard, the name of the mafia killer Giovanni Brusca is well known. Suspecting that his comrade was "dripping" the police, Brusca kidnapped his 11-year-old son and dissolved him alive in an acid-filled bathtub.

This execution is also practiced by the extremists of the East. According to Saddam Hussein's former bodyguard, he witnessed an acid execution: first, the victim's legs were lowered into a pool filled with caustic substance, and then they were thrown entirely. And in 2016, ISIS militants dissolved 25 people in a cauldron of acid.

cement boots

This method is well known to many of our gangster movie readers. Indeed, they killed their enemies and traitors with such a cruel method during the mafia wars in Chicago. The victim was tied to a chair, then a basin filled with liquid cement was placed under his feet. And when it froze, the person was taken to the nearest reservoir and thrown off the boat. Cement boots instantly dragged him to the bottom to feed the fish.

Flights of death

In 1976, General Jorge Videla came to power in Argentina. He led the country for only 5 years, but remained in history as one of the most terrible dictators of our time. Among other atrocities of Videla are the so-called "death flights".

A person who opposed the tyrant's regime was drugged with barbiturates and unconsciously carried on board the plane, then thrown down - certainly into the water.

We also invite you to read about the most mysterious deaths in history.
Subscribe to our channel in Yandex.Zen

1.05k

Having found an error in the text, select it and press Ctrl + Enter

People often dream of visiting the past. But history buffs should pay attention to the fact that not everything is as romantic as it might seem. The past was a brutal, cruel place where the slightest legal or social violation could lead to a painful and horrific death. Over the past few hundred years, most Western nations have abolished the death penalty. But in the past, it was very often the goal to inflict as much pain as possible on the person being executed.

There were various reasons for this; some of them political, religious, and some used as intimidation. Whatever the reason, the executions were horrendous. See below for some of the worst executions in human history.

Skafism

Scaphism (also known as "boats") was an ancient Persian method of execution whereby the condemned person was tied inside a small boat or hollowed out tree trunk. The only thing left outside was the arms, legs and head of the victim.

The victim was forcibly fed milk and honey to induce severe diarrhea. Moreover, the whole body was smeared with honey, with special emphasis on the eyes, ears and mouth.
The honey attracted insects, which bred in the victim's excrement or in his dead skin. Death occurred after a few days or weeks from dehydration, starvation and septic shock.

Bestiaries

In ancient Rome, huge crowds gathered in the amphitheaters to witness the cruel and inhuman execution.

Bestiaries were one of the favorite activities at these gatherings. The prisoners were sent to the center of the arena. Angry wild tigers and lions were also released there. The animals remained in the arena until they maimed or gnawed to death the last victim.

It is important to note that some entered the arena voluntarily, for money or fame, but these fighters were given weapons and armor and fought purely for the entertainment of the crowd, while criminals or political prisoners were completely defenseless and deprived of a chance to defend themselves.

Elephant execution

Death by elephant was a common method of execution in South and Southeast Asia, although Western powers like Rome and Carthage also resorted to it.

Death came either quickly or slowly, depending on the severity of the crime. A trained elephant would either step on the head, causing instant death, or step on the limbs, crushing one after the other.

Vertical shaker

The vertical shaker was invented in the United States in the 19th century. It is very similar to hanging, but in this case, the prisoner was strongly lifted up by the neck to tear the spinal cord and cause instant death. This method was intended to replace traditional hanging, but did not see widespread use.

Sawing

The sawing execution was used throughout the world. Often, the condemned was hung upside down, which allowed the executioners to start sawing from the genitals. The inverted position allowed enough blood to flow to the brain to keep the victim alive for the horrific torture to continue.

Live skinning

Live skinning was also used by different cultures. The victim was held while her skin was cut from her body. Death came from shock, blood loss, hypothermia or infection, and it could take.

In some cultures, a person's skin was hung in a public place to warn others of the consequences of disobeying the law.

wheeling

Wheeling is one of the most brutal executions on our list. Reserved for particularly nasty criminals. The convict was tied to a large, spoked wheel. He was then beaten with clubs or other blunt instruments.

blood eagle

The blood eagle is a ritual method of execution described in Scandinavian poetry. The ribs of the condemned person were broken out so that they resembled wings, and the lungs were taken out and hung on the ribs.

There is some debate about whether the ritual was a fictional literary device or an actual historical practice, but many agree that the details are too macabre to be used in practice.

Burning at the stake

We have all seen this inquisitorial execution that was shown in the movies, but few understand how widespread it was in medieval times and antiquity.

In Europe, the convicted person was often given a chance to confess for a lighter sentence - they were strangled to death before the fire was lit. Otherwise, they either burned out or died from carbon monoxide poisoning.

bamboo torture

An unusual and very painful method of execution. It is believed to have been used in parts of Asia as well as by Japanese soldiers during World War II.

The victim was placed on pointed bamboo shoots. Within a few weeks, a very resilient plant began to grow right through the victim's body, eventually piercing him.

The prisoner was fed, not allowing him to die prematurely, thus making his death even more painful.

Lynchy

Lingchi, also known as "Slow Slicing" or "Death by Thousands of Wounds," is a particularly gruesome execution method used in China from ancient times until 1905.

The executioner gradually and methodically cut the victim into pieces, leaving her alive for as long as possible.

Buried alive

Unfortunately, many cultures have used this method of execution for centuries. Death came in the form of suffocation, dehydration, or worst of all starvation. In some cases, fresh air entered the coffin from below, as a result of which the condemned man remained alive in complete darkness for several days or weeks, until he finally died.

spanish tickler

The Spanish tickler is an execution method also known as "Cat's Paw". The Cat's Paw was a torture and execution device. The device was attached to the executioner's hand, allowing him to easily peel the flesh from the victim. Everything was done live, and the convict died much later due to infection.

Before our era, executions were particularly cruel. The Chinese turned out to be the most “inventive” in terms of cruel bullying, they tried to keep up with them in other countries, inventing their own, “branded” executions.

Terrible Chinese executions

The Chinese in terms of the invention of cruel executions, perhaps, no one could surpass. One of the most exotic ways to punish criminals is to stretch it over the growing shoots of young bamboo. Through the human body, the shoots germinated in a few days, causing incredible suffering to the executed. It was in China that a person who did not inform on a criminal could be cut in half, and it was there that they first began to bury people in the ground alive.

Executions in ancient China were especially cruel. Executioners in China often sawed women for any reason. It is known that cooks were sawn up only because the whiteness of the rice they cooked did not match the color of the Master's wisdom. The women were undressed and, having fastened sharp saws between their legs, they hung them by the hands on rings. They could not hang in a taut state for a long time, it was impossible to sit still and on the edge of a saw. Thus, the cooks sawed themselves from the womb to the chest.

Executioner - one of the most terrible professions To aggravate punishment, Chinese judges used execution, which was called "implementation of five types of punishment." The offender was first branded, then his legs and arms were cut off, and he was beaten to death with sticks. The head of the executed was put on public display in the market.

List of worst executions

The rulers of different countries established the death penalty for a variety of crimes. Often the executions were invented by the judges or executioners themselves. They were the most cruel before our era.

In China, terrible executions were carried out at the stadium. I must say, European countries were less inventive in terms of executions. Europeans preferred quick, "non-sick" killing.

"Punishment by the Wall"

An execution called "punishment by the wall" was invented in ancient Egypt. In fact, this is the immuring of a person by the Egyptian priests in the wall of the dungeon. Executed in this way simply died of suffocation.

In ancient Egypt, very sophisticated executions were invented. In the opera "Aida" you can see the scene of such an execution. For the committed state crime, Radomes and Aida were doomed to a slow death in a stone tomb.

Crucifixion

For the first time, execution by crucifixion was used by the Phoenicians. After some time, this method was adopted from them by the Carthaginians, and then by the Romans.

Crucifixion - the most famous execution The Israelites and the Romans considered death on the cross the most shameful. Often hardened criminals and slaves were executed in this way. Before crucifixion, a person was undressed, leaving only a loincloth. He was beaten with leather whips or freshly cut rods, after which he was forced to carry the cross to the place of crucifixion. Having dug a cross into the ground near the road outside the city or on a hill, a person was lifted with ropes and nailed to him. Sometimes the convict's shins were first broken.

Impalement

Execution by impalement was invented in Assyria. In this way, residents of rebellious cities and women were punished for having an abortion, that is, for infanticide.

Impaling is a common method of execution In Assyria, execution was carried out in two ways. In one version, the chest was pierced with a stake, in another, the point of the stake passed through the body through the anus. People tormented by the stake were often depicted in bas-reliefs as an edification. Later, this execution began to be used by the peoples of the Middle East and the Mediterranean.

"Trough Torture"

One of the most terrible tortures is “trough torture”. At the same time, a person was placed between two troughs fitted one to the other, leaving only the head and legs outside. The victim was forced to eat by force, if he refused, his eyes were pricked with needles. After eating, milk and honey were poured into the mouth of the unfortunate person, and the face was smeared with the same mixture. The trough was turned towards the sun so that it always shone in the person's eyes.

A simple trough can become a terrible weapon of torture. After some time, worms started up in human sewage, which crawled into the intestines and ate the condemned from the inside. When he finally died, and the trough was removed, under him were entrails teeming with various creatures. The meat was already completely eaten.

The most terrible and painful execution

The most terrible execution was invented in China and was used during the reign of the Qing Dynasty. Its name is "Lin-Chi" or "pike bites". It was also called "death by a thousand cuts." Every year, fifteen to twenty people were executed in this way, and only high-ranking corrupt officials.

"Pike bites" - the most terrible Chinese execution in the world The peculiarity of "Ling-Chi" is to stretch the execution in time. If the offender was sentenced to six months or even a year of torment, the executioner was obliged to extend it precisely for this period. The essence of the execution is to cut off small parts from the human body. For example, having cut off one phalanx of a finger, a professional executioner cauterized the wound and sent the condemned to the cell. The next morning, the next phalanx was cut off, and cauterization was performed again. This went on every day.

Suicide was considered a way to avoid a terrible execution. It was important to prevent the suicide of the offender or his premature death. For this, the executioner himself could be executed. By the end of such a sophisticated execution, the body of a recently well-groomed official turned into a piece of smoked, shuddering meat. Physical suffering in this execution was combined with psychological, moral and status. Terrible are not only executions, but also diseases. Some believe that such diseases are given to people as a punishment for sins.

Garrote - execution by strangulation or a broken Adam's apple. The executioner twisted the thread as tightly as he could. Some varieties of garrote were equipped with spikes or a bolt that broke the spinal cord. Such an execution was widespread in Spain, and in 1978 it was outlawed. Officially, the garrote was used for the last time in 1990 in Andorra, however, according to some reports, it is still used in India.

Skafism is a cruel method of execution invented in Persia. The man was placed between two boats or hollowed-out tree trunks stacked on top of each other so that his head and limbs remained outside. He was fed only honey and milk, which caused severe diarrhea. They also smeared the body with honey in order to attract insects. After a while, the poor fellow was allowed into a pond with stagnant water, where there were already a huge number of insects, worms and other creatures. All of them slowly ate his flesh and left the larvae in the wounds. There is also a version that honey attracted only stinging insects. In any case, the person was doomed to long agony, lasting several days and even weeks.

The Assyrians used flaying for torture and execution. Like a captured animal, a man was skinned. Some or all of the skin could be torn off.

Ling chi was used in China from the 7th century until 1905. This method involved death by cuts. The victim was tied to poles and stripped of some parts of the flesh. The number of cuts could be very different. They could make several small cuts, cut off part of the skin somewhere, or even deprive the victim of limbs. The number of cuts was determined by the court. Opium was sometimes given to convicts. All this took place in a crowded place, and even after death, the bodies of the dead were left for a while in full view of everyone.

Wheeling was used in ancient Rome, and in the Middle Ages it began to be used in Europe. By the New Age, wheeling had become widespread in Denmark, Germany, France, Romania, Russia (legislatively approved under Peter I), the USA and other states. A person was tied to the wheel with already broken large bones or still intact, after which they broke them with a crowbar or clubs. A still-living person was left to die of dehydration or shock, whichever came first.

The copper bull is the favorite instrument of execution of Falarides, the tyrant of Agrigent, who ruled in the second half of the 6th century BC. e. The person sentenced to death was placed inside a life-sized hollow copper statue of a bull. A fire was lit under the bull. It was impossible to get out of the statue, and the observers could watch the smoke coming out of the nostrils and hear the screams of the dying.

Evisceration was used in Japan. The convict was removed part or all of the internal organs. The heart and lungs were cut out last to prolong the suffering of the victim. Sometimes evisceration served as a method of ritual suicide.

Boiling began to be used about 3000 years ago. Used it in Europe and Russia, as well as some Asian countries. A person sentenced to death was placed in a cauldron that could be filled not only with water, but also with fat, tar, oil, or molten lead. At the moment of immersion, the liquid could already boil, or it would boil later. The executioner could hasten the onset of death, or vice versa, prolong the torment of a person. It also happened that a boiling liquid was poured onto a person or poured into his throat.

Impaling was first used by the Assyrians, Greeks and Romans. They planted the stake in different ways and the thickness of the stake could also be different. The stake itself could be inserted either into the rectum or into the vagina if they were women, through the mouth or through a hole that was made in the genital area. Often the top of the stake was blunt to prevent the victim from dying immediately. The stake with the convict impaled on it was lifted up and those sentenced to a painful death slowly descended down it under the influence of gravity.

Hanging and quartering were used in medieval England to punish traitors and criminals who committed a particularly grave act. A person was hanged, but so that he remained alive, after which they were deprived of limbs. It could go as far as cutting off the unfortunate genitals, gouging out his eyes and cutting out his internal organs. If the person was still alive, then at the end they cut off his head. This execution continued until 1814.

Since ancient times, the sophisticated mind of man has tried to come up with such a terrible punishment for a criminal, carried out necessarily publicly, in order to frighten the assembled crowd with this spectacle and discourage it from committing criminal acts. This is how the most terrible executions in the world appeared, but most of them, fortunately, became the property of history.

1. Bull Falarida

The ancient instrument of execution - the "copper bull" or "bull Falaris" was invented by the Athenian Peripius in the VI century BC. e. From copper sheets they made a huge bull, hollow inside and having a door on the side or on the back. A man could fit inside the bull. The one sentenced to death was put inside the bull, the door was closed and a fire was kindled under the belly of the bull. The nostrils and eyes of the bull had holes through which the cries of the roasting victim were heard - it seemed that the bull himself was roaring. The inventor of this instrument of execution himself became his first victim - so the tyrant Falarid decided to test the device's performance. But Peripius was not fried to death, but was taken out in time, in order to then “mercifully” be thrown into the abyss. However, Falarid himself later came to know the belly of a copper bull.

2. Hanging, gutting and quartering

This multi-stage execution was practiced in England and applied to traitors to the crown, since it was the most serious crime at that time. It was applied only to men, and women were lucky - their body was considered unsuitable for such an execution, so they were tritely burned alive. This bloody and brutal execution was legal in "civilized" Britain until 1814.
At first, the convicts were dragged to the place of execution, tied to a horse, and then, in order not to kill the victim during transportation, they began to be laid in front of the drag on a kind of sleigh. After this, the condemned was hanged, but not to death, but was taken out of the noose in time and laid on the scaffold. Then the executioner cut off the victim's genitals, opened the stomach and took out the insides, which were burned right there so that the executed person could see it. Then the offender was beheaded, and the body was cut into 4 parts. After that, usually the head of the executed was put on a pike, which was fixed on the bridge in the Tower, and the rest of the body was taken to the largest English cities, where they were also put on display - this was the usual wish of the king.

3. Burning

People have adapted to burn the condemned alive in two ways. In the first case, a person was tied to a vertical pole and surrounded on all sides with brushwood and firewood - in this case, he burned in a ring of fire. It is believed that this is how Joan of Arc was executed. In another method, the condemned was placed on top of a stack of firewood and also chained to a pole, and the firewood was set on fire from below, so in this case the flame slowly rose along the stack and climbed to the legs and then to the rest of the body of the unfortunate.
If the executioner was skilled in his work, then burning was carried out in a certain sequence: first the ankles, then the hips, then the arms, then the torso with forearms, the chest, and finally the face. It was the most painful kind of burning. Sometimes the executions were massive, then part of the condemned did not die from burns, but simply suffocated from carbon monoxide released during combustion. If the firewood was damp, and the fire was too weak, then the victim was more likely to die from heatstroke, blood loss, or pain shock. Later, people became more "humane" - before burning, the victim was hung, and an already dead body fell on the fire. In this way, witches were most often burned throughout Europe, with the exception of the British Isles.

4. Lynchy

Eastern people were especially sophisticated in torture and execution. So, the Chinese came up with a very cruel execution of linchi, which consisted in the fact that small pieces of flesh were slowly cut off from the victim. This type of execution was used in China until 1905. The sentenced was gradually cut off pieces of meat from the arms and legs, stomach and chest, and only at the very end they plunged a knife into the heart and cut off the head. There are sources claiming that such an execution could stretch for several days, but this still seems to be an exaggeration.
Here is how an eyewitness, one of the journalists, described such an execution: “The condemned was tied to a cross, after which the executioner armed with a sharp knife grabbed handfuls of fleshy parts of the body on the hips with his fingers and carefully cut off his chest. He then trimmed the tendons of the joints and protruding parts of the body, including the fingers, ears, and nose. Then came the turn of the limbs, starting with the ankles and wrists, then higher at the knees and elbows, after which the remains were cut off at the exit from the torso. Only after that followed a direct stab in the heart and cutting off the head.

Each culture has its own way of life, traditions and delicacies in particular. What seems normal to some people may be perceived as...

5. Wheeling

Wheeling, or as they said in some countries, "Catherine's wheel" was widely used for executions in the Middle Ages. The offender was tied to a wheel and all his large bones and spine were broken with an iron crowbar. After that, the wheel was horizontally fixed on a pillar with a pile of meat and bones of the ground victim lying on top. Birds often came to feast on the meat of a still living person. At the same time, the victim could live for several more days until he died from dehydration and pain shock. The French made this execution more humane - before the execution, they strangled the convict.

6. Welding in boiling water

The offender was stripped naked and put into a vat of boiling liquid, which could be not only water, but also tar, acid, oil or lead. Sometimes it was placed in a cold liquid, which was heated from below by a fire. Sometimes criminals were hung on a chain, on which they were lowered into boiling water, where they were boiled. This type of execution was widely used for counterfeiters and poisoners in England during the reign of Henry VIII.

7. Skinning

In this variant of slow killing, either all the skin or some parts of it were removed from the body of the convict. The skin was removed with a sharp knife, trying to keep it intact - after all, it was then supposed to serve to intimidate the people. This type of execution has an ancient history. According to legend, the Apostle Bartholomew was crucified upside down on the St. Andrew's Cross and skinned from him. The Assyrians skinned their enemies to intimidate the population of captured cities. Among the Mexican Aztecs, skinning was of a ritual nature, it often touched the head (scalping), but even the bloodthirsty Indians usually scalped corpses. This by no means humane form of execution is already banned everywhere, but in one village in Myanmar, all men were recently skinned.

Most people want to get a window seat on an airplane so they can enjoy the views below, including takeoff and d...

8. Impaling

A well-known type of execution, where the offender was hoisted onto a vertical pointed stake. Until the 18th century, this method of execution was used by the Commonwealth, which executed so many Zaporozhian Cossacks. But they also knew it in Sweden of the 17th century. Here, peritonitis or blood loss leads to death, and death occurs very slowly, after a few days.
In Romania, when impaling women, the instrument of execution was inserted into the vagina, then they died faster from heavy bleeding. A man planted on a sharp stake, under the influence of his own weight, descended lower and lower along it, and the stake gradually tore apart his insides. So that the victim would not get rid of the torment too quickly, the stake was sometimes made not sharp, but rounded and lubricated with fat - then it penetrated more slowly and did not tear the organs. Another innovation was the transverse bars nailed slightly below the end of the stake, dropping to which the victim did not have time to damage vital organs and, again, suffered even longer.

9. Skafism

This ancient oriental method of execution is unhygienic, but causes an agonizing long death. The sentenced was completely undressed, smeared with honey and placed in a narrow boat or a hollowed out tree trunk, and covered with the same object from above. It turned out something like a turtle: only the limbs and the head of the victim stuck out, which they heavily fed with honey and milk to cause uncontrollable diarrhea. A similar design was either placed in the sun, or allowed to swim in a pond with stagnant water. The object quickly attracted the attention of insects, which penetrated the inside of the boat, where they slowly gnawed on the body of the victim, laying larvae there until sepsis began.
"Compassionate" executioners continued to feed the poor fellow every day in order to prolong his suffering. Finally, he usually died from a combination of septic shock and dehydration. Plutarch reported that this is how they executed the king Mithridates, who killed Cyrus the Younger, who suffered for 17 days. The American Indians also used a similar method of execution - they tied a victim to a tree, smeared with mud and oil, leaving it to be eaten by ants.

The Trans-Siberian Railway or the Great Siberian Way, which connects the Russian capital Moscow with Vladivostok, until recently bore an honorary title with ...

10. Sawing

The condemned to death was hung upside down with legs apart and started sawing in the groin area. The victim's head was at a low point, so the brain was better supplied with blood and, despite the huge loss of blood, was conscious longer. Sometimes the victim survived, being sawn already to the diaphragm. This execution was known both in Europe and somewhere in Asia. They say that the emperor Caligula loved to have fun so much. But in the Asian version, sawing was carried out from the head.

In the electric chair, the ancient world was especially inventive in terms of sophisticated torture and punishment. The types of execution used in the East were especially terrible, and Ancient China distinguished itself in this most of all. It is the Celestial Empire that holds the palm in the invention of executions in the world.

Sadistic executions of ancient China

In ancient times, in the Celestial Empire, they could be executed without trial or investigation for the smallest sins. Once the cooks were sawn in half only because the rice they cooked did not satisfy the owner. Women stripped naked were hung by their hands on rings, and a saw was placed between their legs.

It was impossible to hang on tense hands for a long time, it was also difficult to sit on a sharp saw for a long time - thus, the women sawed themselves.

In general, women in China could be sawn up for any reason.

High-ranking corrupt officials were executed with a terrible execution, which was called "pike bites" or "death by a thousand cuts." Small particles of flesh were gradually cut off from the criminal over the course of a year or six months. To prevent bleeding, the wounds were cauterized with a red-hot iron. In such a situation, suicide seemed to be the highest good, but the executioners vigilantly watched the convict, preventing him from dying prematurely. Terrible physical suffering was accompanied by moral humiliation.

Suicide is just a gift of fate, in the case when a piece of flesh was cut off from a person

And today in China it is not considered a great value. A “suitable” person can easily be stolen on the street and dismantled for organs. State criminals are subjected to almost medieval torture, and women are castrated with laser beams.

Terrible executions of the Ancient East

The ancient East invented executions. Here is a rough list of some of them:

Wall punishment.
Crucifixion.
Impalement.
Trough torture.

Cruel executions were also practiced in ancient Egypt. The method of killing, which was called "punishment by the wall", consisted in the fact that the criminal was walled up alive, as a result of which he died of suffocation.

Crucifixion was first used in Ancient Phoenicia, then this method of execution was borrowed from the Phoenicians by the Carthaginians. After the Punic Wars, the Romans began to execute like this. was considered the most despicable - only slaves or hardened criminals died like that. Roman citizens and other people of the noble class were killed with a sword, with which they cut off their heads quickly and painlessly.

At first they impaled only in Assyria. This type of execution was applied to women who had an abortion and to rioters. As a result of the conquests of the Assyrian empire, this type of execution spread throughout the Mediterranean.

The execution with a trough was one of the most terrible. The body of the convict was placed between two troughs, but the head remained outside. The offender was force-fed by pouring liquid food down his throat. Over time, worms started up in the feces, which ate the body of the unfortunate person alive.

Muslim extremists of the modern East no less cruelly execute their captives. The bloody relay race continues and there is no end in sight.

Terrible torture and executions of medieval Europe

European culture was not so inventive in matters of torture and execution. execution methods were usually imported from the East. Nevertheless, European justice could hardly be called humane.

The following types of punishment were used:

burn alive at the stake;
boil alive;
excoriation;
bury alive;
wheeling;
decapitation;
hanging;
cut off ears or hands;
blindness;
quartering;
tearing by horses;
drowning;
stoning;
crucifixion.

Burning at the stake was the punishment for heresy, but in England it was the punishment for adultery. Counterfeiters were boiled alive in cauldrons of boiling oil or tar. Particularly cruel was the version of such an execution, when the convict was first placed in a vat of cold water, and then the water was heated to a boil. The skin was torn off from dangerous state criminals and negligent doctors, and they could remove it not only from a living person, but also from a corpse.

Children were also buried alive for significant theft, and hands were cut off for petty theft. Also, for petty theft or fraud, an ear or ears could be cut off. The recidivist thief was already subject to the death penalty. Only noble gentlemen were blinded, who, for whatever reason, could not be deprived of their lives. Quartering was used as a punishment for high treason, but only men were executed in this way, and in this case women were burned.

Video about the worst executions in the world

Drowning was a punishment for swear words and curses. Tearing by horses, stoning and crucifixion were rare forms of justice. The most humane methods of execution were hanging and beheading - the latter survived until the New Age in the form of a guillotine.

In modern Europe, it is difficult to find even traces of past atrocities, because any kind of torture and the death penalty is strictly prohibited. In the vast majority of European countries, the highest penalty is life imprisonment.

It only remains to be thankful that gloomy tortures and executions are a thing of the distant past, and in modern times they can only be found in backward countries.

Mankind has always tried to punish criminals in such a way that other people would remember it and, under fear of a harsh death, they would not repeat such actions. To quickly deprive the convict, who could easily turn out to be innocent, life was not enough then, and therefore they came up with various painful executions. This post will introduce you to similar methods of execution.

Garrote - execution by strangulation or a broken Adam's apple. The executioner twisted the thread as tightly as he could. Some varieties of garrote were equipped with spikes or a bolt that broke the spinal cord. Such an execution was widespread in Spain, and in 1978 it was outlawed. Officially, the garrote was used for the last time in 1990 in Andorra, however, according to some sources, it is still used in India.

The Assyrians used flaying for torture and execution. Like a captured animal, a man was skinned. Some or all of the skin could be torn off.

Consider yourself lucky. If you think so, you most likely not only live in a society with a functioning legal system, but also where this system allows you to hope for fair and efficient justice, especially in the case of the death penalty.

For most of human history, the main purpose of the death penalty was not so much the interruption of human life as the incredibly cruel torture of the victim. Those sentenced to death had to go through hell-on-earth. So, the 25 most brutal methods of execution in the history of mankind.

Skafism

An ancient Persian method of execution, when a person was stripped naked and placed in a tree trunk so that only the head, arms and legs protruded. They were then fed only milk and honey until the victim had severe diarrhea. Thus, honey got into all open areas of the body, which was supposed to attract insects. As the person's feces accumulated, the insects became increasingly attracted and they began to feed and multiply in his/her skin, which would become more gangrenous. Death can take over 2 weeks and most likely resulted from starvation, dehydration, and shock.

Guillotine

Created in the late 1700s, it was one of the first execution methods that called for the end of life rather than the infliction of pain. Although the guillotine was specifically invented as a form of human execution, it was banned in France, and was last used in 1977.

Republican marriage

A very strange method of execution was practiced in France. The man and woman were tied together and then thrown into the river to be drowned.

cement shoes

The method of execution preferred to use the American mafia. Similar to the Republican Marriage in that drowning is used, but instead of being bonded to a person of the opposite sex, the victim's feet were placed in concrete blocks.

Elephant execution

Elephants in Southeast Asia have often been trained to prolong the death of a prey. The elephant is a heavy animal, but easily trained. Teaching him to stomp on criminals on command has always been a fascinating thing. Many times this method has been used to show that there are rulers even in the natural world.

Plank walks

Mostly practiced by pirates and sailors. The victims often did not have time to drown, as they were attacked by sharks, which usually followed the ships.

Bestiary

Bestiaries are criminals in ancient Rome, who were given to be torn to pieces by wild animals. Although sometimes the act was voluntary and carried out for money or recognition, often bestiaries were political prisoners who were sent into the arena naked and unable to defend themselves.

Mazatello

The method is named after the weapon used during the execution, usually a hammer. This method of capital punishment was popular in the papal state in the 18th century. The convict was escorted to the scaffold in the square and he was left alone with the executioner and the coffin. Then the executioner raised the hammer and struck the victim's head. Since such a blow, as a rule, did not lead to death, the throat of the victims was cut immediately after the blow.

Vertical "shaker"

Originating in the United States, this method of capital punishment is now commonly used in countries such as Iran. Although it is very similar to hanging, in this case, to sever the spinal cord, the victims were violently lifted up by the neck, usually with the help of a crane.

Sawing

Allegedly used in parts of Europe and Asia. The victim was turned upside down and then sawn in half, starting at the groin. Since the victim was upside down, the brain received enough blood to keep the victim conscious while the large abdominal vessels were severed.

Flaying

The act of removing skin from a person's body. This type of execution was often used to stir up fear, as the execution was usually carried out in a public place in front of everyone.

blood eagle

This type of execution was described in the Scandinavian sagas. The ribs of the victim were broken so that they resembled wings. Then light victims were pulled through the hole between the ribs. The wounds were sprinkled with salt.

Gridiron

Roasting the victim on hot coals.

Crushing

Although you have already read about the elephant crush method, there is another similar method. Crushing was popular in Europe and America as a method of torture. Each time the victim refused to comply, more weight was placed on their chest until the victim died from lack of air.

wheeling

Also known as Catherine's Wheel. The wheel looked like an ordinary wagon wheel, only larger with a large number of spokes. The victim was undressed, arms and legs were laid out and tied, then the executioner beat the victim with a large hammer, breaking the bones. At the same time, the executioner tried not to inflict mortal blows.

spanish tickler

The method is also known as "cat's paws". These devices were used by the executioner, tearing and tearing the skin from the victim. Often death did not occur immediately, but as a result of infection.

Burning at the stake

In history, the most popular method of the death penalty. If the victim was lucky, then he or she was executed along with several others. This ensured that the flames would be large and death would result from carbon monoxide poisoning rather than being burned alive.

Bamboo

An extremely slow and painful punishment was used in Asia. Bamboo stalks sticking out of the ground were sharpened. Then, over the place where this bamboo grew, the accused was hung up. The rapid growth of bamboo and its pointed tops allowed the plant to pierce the human body through and through in one night.

premature burial

This technique has been used by governments throughout the history of capital punishment. One of the last documented cases was during the 1937 Nanjing massacre, when Japanese troops buried Chinese citizens alive.

Ling Chi

Also known as "death by slow cutting" or "slow death", this form of execution was eventually outlawed in China in the early 20th century. The organs of the victim's body were slowly and methodically removed while the executioner tried to keep him or her alive for as long as possible.

Seppuku

A form of ritual suicide that allowed the warrior to die with honor. It was used by the samurai.

copper bull

The design of this death unit was developed by the ancient Greeks, namely the coppersmith Perill, who sold the terrible bull to the Sicilian tyrant Falaris so that he could execute criminals in a new way. Inside the copper statue, through the door, a living person was placed. And then ... Falaris first tested the unit on its developer, the unfortunate greedy Perilla. Subsequently, Falaris himself was roasted in a bull.

Colombian tie

The throat of a person is cut with a knife, and the tongue protrudes through the hole. This method of murder indicated that the victim had given the police some information.

Crucifixion

A particularly cruel method of execution was used mainly by the Romans. It was as slow, painful and humiliating as it could be. Usually after a long period of beating or torture, the victim was forced to carry his cross to the place of his death. Subsequently, she was either nailed or tied to a cross, where she hung for several weeks. Death, as a rule, came from lack of air.

Hanged, drowned and dismembered

Mainly used in England. The method is regarded as one of the most brutal forms of execution ever created. As the name implies, the execution was performed in three parts. Part one - the victim was tied to a wooden frame. So she hung almost to death. Immediately afterwards, the victim's stomach was cut open and the entrails were removed. Further, the insides were burned in front of the victim. The condemned man was then beheaded. After all this, his body was divided into four parts and scattered throughout England as a public display. This punishment was applied only to men, condemned women, as a rule, were burned at the stake.