Consider yourself lucky. If you think so, you most likely not only live in a functioning society legal system, but also where this system allows us to hope for fair and effective 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 termination of human life as the incredibly cruel torture of the victim. Anyone sentenced to death had to go through hell on earth. So, the 25 most cruel methods of execution in the history of mankind.
Skafism
An ancient Persian method of execution in which 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 suffered from severe diarrhea. Thus, honey got into all open areas of the body, which was supposed to attract insects. As the person's feces accumulated, it would increasingly attract insects and they would start feeding and breeding in his/her skin, which would become more gangrenous. Death may take more than 2 weeks and is most likely due to starvation, dehydration and shock.
Guillotine
Created in the late 1700s, it was one of the first methods of execution that called for ending a life rather than inflicting 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 drown.
Cement shoes
She preferred to use the execution method American mafia. Similar to Republican Marriage in that it used drowning, but instead of being tied to a person of the opposite sex, the victim's feet were placed in concrete blocks.
Execution by an elephant
Elephants in Southeast Asia were often trained to prolong the death of their prey. The elephant is a heavy beast, but easy to train. Teaching him to trample criminals on command has always been exciting. Many times this method has been used to show that there are rulers even in the natural world.
Walking on the plank
Mainly practiced by pirates and sailors. The victims often did not have time to drown, as they were attacked by sharks, which, as a rule, followed the ships.
Bestiary
Bestiaries are criminals in Ancient Rome who were given over to be torn to pieces by wild animals. Although sometimes the act was voluntary and carried out for money or recognition, often the 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 execution, usually a hammer. This method of capital punishment was popular in the Papal States in the 18th century. The condemned man 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 victims' throats were cut immediately after the blow.
Vertical "shaker"
Originating in the United States, this method of capital punishment is now often used in countries such as Iran. Although very similar to hanging, in this case, in order to sever the spinal cord, the victims were violently lifted up by the neck, usually using a crane.
Sawing
Supposedly used in parts of Europe and Asia. The victim was turned upside down and then sawed in half, starting from the groin. Since the victim was upside down, the brain received enough blood to keep the victim conscious while the major abdominal vessels were ruptured.
Flaying
The act of removing skin from a person's body. This type of execution was often used to incite fear, as the execution was usually carried out in a public place in full view of everyone.
Bloody Eagle
This type of execution was described in the Scandinavian sagas. The victim's ribs were broken so that they resembled wings. Then the lungs of the victim were pulled through the hole between the ribs. The wounds were sprinkled with salt.
Gridiron
Roasting a victim over hot coals.
Crushing
Although you have already read about the elephant crushing 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 cart wheel, only larger in size with more spokes. The victim was undressed, the arms and legs were spread 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 deliver fatal blows.
Spanish tickler
The method is also known as "cat's paws". These devices were used by the executioner to tear and tear off the skin of the victim. Often death did not occur immediately, but as a result of infection.
Burning at the stake
A popular method of death penalty in history. If the victim was lucky, he or she was executed along with several others. This ensured that the flames would be large and that death would result from carbon monoxide poisoning rather than being burned alive.
Bamboo
Extremely slow and painful punishment was used in Asia. The bamboo stems sticking out of the ground were sharpened. The accused was then hung over the place where this bamboo grew. The rapid growth of bamboo and its pointed tips allowed the plant to pierce a person’s body 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 Nanjing massacre in 1937, 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 victim's body organs were slowly and methodically removed while the executioner tried to keep him or her alive as long as possible.
Seppuku
A form of ritual suicide that allowed a warrior to die with honor. It was used by samurai.
copper bull
The design of this death machine was developed by the ancient Greeks, namely the coppersmith Perillus, who sold the terrible bull to the Sicilian tyrant Phalaris so that he could execute criminals in a new way. Inside the copper statue, through the door, a living person was placed. And then... Phalaris first tested the unit on its developer, the unfortunate greedy Perilla. Subsequently, Phalaris himself was roasted in a bull.
Colombian tie
A person's throat is cut with a knife, and the tongue sticks out through the hole. This method of murder indicated that the murdered man had given some information to the police.
Crucifixion
A particularly cruel method of execution, used mainly by the Romans. It was as slow, painful and humiliating as it could be. Usually, after prolonged beating or torture, the victim was forced to carry his cross to the place of his death. She was subsequently either nailed or tied to a cross, where she hung for several weeks. Death, as a rule, occurred from lack of air.
Hanged, Drowned and Dismembered
Used mainly in England. The method is considered one of the most brutal forms of execution ever created. As the name suggests, the execution was carried out in three parts. Part one - the victim was tied to a wooden frame. So she hung almost until she was half dead. Immediately after this, the victim's stomach was ripped open and the entrails were removed. Next, the entrails 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; convicted women, as a rule, were burned at the stake.
Attitudes towards crimes and criminals in different eras and in different countries differed, so the severity of the punishment varied. But if a person was sentenced to execution, then it was very cruel. The most brutal executions in the history of mankind cause horror, since the condemned could die in terrible agony for weeks.
10 most brutal executions in the world
1. Chinese execution. Oddly enough, the executioners treated women with particular cruelty. One of the most terrible executions in history was practiced in China. The condemned woman was stripped naked and, deprived of support on her feet, saws were secured between her legs.
Execution "Sawing"
The woman's hands were tied to the ring. Under the influence of gravity, the victim fell down onto the cutting edges of the saws, so that her body was slowly sawed from the womb to the sternum. The reasons for such a terrible punishment are incomprehensible to us; for example, the rice prepared by the cook did not turn out to be as snow-white as the color of the owner’s wisdom required.
2. Quartering. In Russia, and throughout Europe, in India, China, Egypt, Persia and Rome, this execution implied tearing or dismembering the human body into several parts. The parts themselves were put on public display after the execution was completed. There are many options for dividing a criminal into parts - he was torn apart by horses, bulls, treetops. In some cases, an executioner was used to cut off the limbs.
Execution "Quartering" Moreover, it is impossible to even identify for what type of crime such punishment was imposed. It was often used when it was necessary to make an execution spectacular. That’s why they quartered deserters and members of their families, state criminals, rapists, Christians in ancient Rome, etc.
3. "Tin Soldier" Alcatraz prison has gone down in history as one of the most terrible prisons in the world due to its executions. The management of the correctional institution had an unhealthy imagination; it is simply impossible to explain the appearance of the “tin soldier” otherwise.
The convicted prisoner received an injection of heroin, after which he was doused with heated paraffin. At the same time, the guards put the person in a pose that was funny from their point of view. When the paraffin hardened, the person simply could not move anymore - the result was a “tin soldier.” After this, the guards cut off the prisoner's limbs. Death from shock and blood loss lasted for hours, which the executed person experienced in terrible agony.
4. “The Cradle of Judas.” Another no less cruel option for killing prisoners at Alcatraz is the “Cradle of Judas.” The person sentenced to execution was placed on a pyramid, with his hands and body fixed. The tip of the pyramid was placed in the anus or vagina, so that the structure gradually tore the body apart. To speed up the process, weights were attached to the condemned man's feet, increasing the pressure.
This slow and painful death from blood loss and sepsis took up to several days; with weights, the process was accelerated to several hours. The leadership of the famous prison borrowed this barbaric method from the medieval inquisitors.
5. Keeling. There was a separate set of executions for pirates, the worst of which was pitching. The person was tied up and pulled with a rope under the keel of the ship.
Execution "Kilevanie" Since this lasted for a long time, the person had time to choke, not to mention the blows on the keel itself, covered with sharp shellfish - the skin was torn off from the person. However, this type of punishment for disobedience to the captain, who had absolute power on the ship, was also practiced in the English fleet.
6. Deserted island. Another pirate execution option known throughout the world - the rebels were not killed, but were landed on desert island, which will feed criminals.
Many unlucky rebels were left for years to eke out a miserable existence on a piece of land without normal food or amenities.
7. Walking on a plank. This type of execution among pirates is described in adventure novels.
Execution "Walking on the Plank" The crew of the captured ship was not needed by the robbers, so they set off to sea. The board was placed over the side of the ship, so that a person, having walked along it, fell into the sea in the mouth of waiting sharks.
8. Execution for treason. In many cultures, the punishment for adultery for a woman is death. Methods of execution vary. In Turkey, an adulteress was sewn into a bag with a cat and the bag was beaten. The maddened animal tore the woman apart, and the convict died from blood loss and beatings.
In Korea, the adulteress was forced to drink vinegar, and then the adulteress's swollen body was beaten with sticks until the fairer sex died.
9. ISIS executions. The types of punishments adopted by ISIS (an organization banned on the territory of the Russian Federation) are also classified as cruel, but they do not occupy the first place in the list of TOP 10 terrible executions.
Representatives of the group willingly distribute in the media photos and videos of executions by burning and beheading, which is not much different from the medieval set of tortures and executions.
10. Executions for rape. Executions for rape are often much less brutal than for adultery, especially for the fairer sex. However, the death of a rapist was threatened not only in the Middle Ages, this is still relevant today in Iran, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Pakistan, Sudan.
However, Muslim tort law sometimes causes strange decisions. There are precedents when, after rape, a girl is executed by stoning, because the victim allegedly seduced the rapist. In other countries, for crimes of a sexual nature, the offender is punished with imprisonment for a term of 1 year to life imprisonment.
During Soviet times, rape committed by a repeat offender, rape that resulted in grave consequences, or rape of a minor victim was punishable by death. This law was in force until 1997. By the way, a similar measure for the rape of a child in the US state of Louisiana was abolished only in 2008.
Man is an intellectual and sublime being, capable of creating truly great masterpieces. But the products of his creativity are not always put at the service of good; sometimes his inventions are terrifying in their sophisticated cruelty.
| N | Execution | Country of invention | First mention |
| 1 | Persia | 5th century BC e. | |
| 2 | Assyria | II millennium BC e. | |
| 3 | India | 1st millennium BC e. | |
| 4 | Ancient Rome | 6th century BC e. | |
| 5 | Phoenicia | XI century BC e. | |
| 6 | Siam | 16th century | |
| 7 | China | 17th century | |
| 8 | Scandinavia | 10th century | |
| 9 | Egypt | III millennium BC e. | |
| 10 | Italy | XX century | |
| 11 | USA | XX century | |
| 12 | Argentina | XX century |
The name comes from the word "trough" or "boat" in ancient Greek. The concept itself became famous thanks to Plutarch, who described the death of the Persian warrior Mithridates, who was executed in this way.
The execution consisted of stripping the victim naked and then tying him between two dugout boats so that only his head and legs remained outside. They were thickly smeared with honey. The man was then force-fed honey and milk until he developed diarrhea. The boats were lowered into a pond with standing water. The smell of sewage and honey attracted numerous insects, which clung to the body of the unfortunate man, slowly devouring his flesh and laying larvae in it. Death occurred within two weeks.
There were two methods of execution. The person was impaled by inserting it into the anus, and over time it came out through the chest. In another method, a stake was inserted into the victim's chest area. Such images are present on numerous bas-reliefs, for the edification of contemporaries and descendants. Subsequently, this method of execution spread to the Mediterranean countries and the Middle East, as well as to Slavic territories.
The execution method has become widespread in India and Sri Lanka. Asian rulers knew very well that Indian elephants were highly trainable and took advantage of this.
There were many ways to carry out executions. They could put armor on the tusks with spears, which would pierce the condemned person, after which the elephant would tear him apart. But most often, elephants trampled convicts, tearing off their limbs with their trunks. In India, prisoners were often simply thrown under the feet of an angry animal, which weighs approximately five tons.
In ancient Rome, Christians were executed in the arenas this way. Of course, this method of killing was known much earlier and was not invented by the Romans. Lions and, less commonly, buffaloes, leopards, bears and panthers took part in the massacre.
A person could be tied to a pole in the middle of the arena and wild animals could be unleashed on him. The criminal was also thrown into a cage with wild animals or tied tightly to the back of the animal. There were cases when the victim was put into battle against a wild beast. His weapon was a short spear, and his uniform was a tunic. In ancient Rome and in later times, such executions always attracted large audiences.
Crucifixion or execution on the cross
This method of execution was invented by the Phoenicians, a seafaring people living in the Mediterranean. Subsequently, the execution of the cross was used by the Carthaginians and ancient Romans. In Rome and Israel, such an execution was considered shameful; repeat criminals, thieves and traitors were punished this way.
Before the action, the victim was stripped down to his loincloth. After beatings with leather whips or fresh rods, he himself carried the cross to the place of execution; such a cross weighed up to 50 kilograms. After the cross was installed, the criminal was lifted with ropes and nailed to the cross. In some cases, they could break their legs with an iron rod. The victim died from dehydration, painful shock and exhaustion.
Bamboo
It is believed that the method of killing with bamboo was invented and first tested in Ancient China, but there are no reliable sources on this topic. But there is evidence of the use of this kind of torture in Siam and on the island of Sri Lanka.
The condemned man stretched out between the young, growing shoots of the plant. For several days, young bamboo trunks grew through his body, actually making holes in his internal organs. In rare cases, the executed person managed to live for one week, but this was already considered a rarity. Bamboo grew quickly and killed a person much earlier.
The name can be translated into Russian as “sea pike bites.” There was also another name: “death by a thousand cuts.” For the first time, this method of execution began to be used during the reign of the Qing dynasty; execution was used only in relation to high-ranking officials who had stolen. Over the course of a year, there were approximately 15-20 such people.
The essence of lynching is that parts of the condemned person’s body were gradually cut off. For example, the executioner chopped off the phalanx of the finger, cauterized the place and moved on to the next one. The court itself decided how much and what to cut. Moreover, such cuttings were prescribed from 24 to 3000. Sometimes, as a special mercy to the sentenced person, the court decided to first behead him and then cut off parts of his body. Banned only in 1905.
Historians doubt that such an execution actually existed, but there are references to it in the folklore of the peoples of Scandinavia. IN Scandinavian countries this method of execution was used in the early Middle Ages.
This is how the harsh Vikings often executed their enemies. The condemned man's hands were tied behind his back and placed face down on a stump. The executioner carefully cut the skin on the back, after which he pryed the ribs with an ax and broke them out. After that, they were shaped somewhat like the wings of an eagle. Then the lungs were removed from the victim's body and hung on the ribs.
After this, the victim died a painful death within 24 hours.
This option of killing was developed in ancient times and found widespread use in the Middle Ages. The execution was mainly applied to counterfeiters. If one was caught counterfeiting money, he was thrown into a cauldron of boiling tar or water, where the unfortunate person was boiled alive. This execution was relatively humane; the death of the criminal occurred from severe painful shock. If a more sophisticated executioner came across, he put the criminal in a cauldron of cold water, the water gradually warmed up, or the person was lowered into this water slowly, starting from the area of the feet, when the water already became boiling water. When the person was still alive and fully conscious, the welded muscles moved away from his leg bones.
It is believed that this method of execution began to be used as early as Sicilian mafia, the first to put this method into practice was allegedly the mafioso Giovanni Brusca.
Today, this method of reprisal is practiced by eastern extremists. Saddam Hussein's personal bodyguard once witnessed such a massacre. According to him, the pool was first filled with a caustic substance, then the victim’s legs were gradually lowered into it, after which she was thrown into it entirely. During 2016, ISIS operatives boiled 25 people in a pool of acid.
Cement boots or Chicago coat
This method of execution is reflected in numerous TV series about the life of gangsters and the mafia. Indeed, even during the mafia wars in Chicago, gangsters dealt with their enemies and traitors in this way. The person was tied to a chair, a basin was placed under his feet, into which liquid concrete was poured. When the cement hardened, the convict was brought to a reservoir and pushed into the water. Cement boots instantly carried the victim to the bottom, and he became food for fish.
In Argentina, dictator Jorge Videla came to power in 1976. During the five years of his leadership of the country, he gained fame as the most cruel tyrant of our time. The so-called "death flights" later became widely known as one of his most sophisticated atrocities.
A person who spoke out against the tyrannical regime was pumped up with narcotics, after which he was taken onto a plane and, after gaining altitude, dropped down, and always into the water.
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, much like we go to a concert now.
And the more torment she caused to the person being executed, the more public she attracted. We have collected ten of the most terrible and painful methods of killing that people have ever come up with.Number
This sophisticated execution came from the east, but was also successfully used in Eastern Europe. The idea is that a sharpened stake was inserted into the victim's anus, and then the person was stood upright, and with his own weight he drove the stake deeper and deeper, tearing his insides. Sometimes they used not a sharp stake, but a stake rounded at the end, so that it would not pierce, but would go deeper. Sometimes the depth of the entrance was limited by a crossbar 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' they practiced hanging from a hook. Basically, this execution was applied to robbers and served as an edification for others, so that they understood that the “high road” will not lead to good things. The condemned man was stuck with a hook under his rib 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 was the 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 cleansing does not diminish the cruelty of such an execution. First, all the hair on the person’s face burned, then the tissue began to burn. At the same time, the executed person inhaled hot air and thereby burned his lungs. The scientist Giordano Bruno, the famous Joan of Arc and many others died this terrible, painful death worthy people.
Bamboo
This execution was invented in Asia. People noticed that bamboo grows at an incredible speed - up to thirty centimeters per day, and decided to use this property to kill. The victim was laid on his back on top of bamboo shoots and tied. Over the course of a day, the plant slowly grew through the human body, penetrating it with dozens of sprouts. A terrible, painful death.
Bloody Eagle
This demonstrative execution was used among the Scandinavian tribes. The victim's ribs were cut with an ax near the spine on both sides, then they were bent back and the lungs were taken out through the holes. In this state, with the lungs out, a person could still live for some time. The execution is called “Red Eagle” because the protruding lungs resembled the wings of an eagle.
Flaying
In the Middle Ages, execution performed several functions at once. For the executed it is punishment, and for the rest it is entertainment and edification. That is why such executions were often public and attracted huge numbers of spectators. The more terrible the execution, the better. Flaying 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 criminal's stomach was ripped open and his entrails were taken out. The executioner's task was to keep the victim alive as long as possible. The intestines could be wrapped around a stick or roller. There are known cases when the intestine was nailed to a tree and a person was forced to walk around it, slowly being wound around the trunk.
Rats
In this execution, the executioners used not only pain, but also human animal fear. 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. The rats, in panic, began to rush around the cage in search of a way out. As a result, they began to tear human flesh, gnawing skin, bones, entrails and came out either through the stomach, gnawing right through the person, or through the mouth.
Humanity has always tried to punish criminals in such a way that other people would remember it and, under pain of severe death, they would not repeat such actions. It was not enough to quickly deprive a convict, who could easily turn out to be innocent, of life, which is why they came up with various painful executions. This post will introduce you to similar methods of execution.
Garrote - execution by strangulation or fracture of the 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. This type of execution was widespread in Spain and was outlawed in 1978. Garrote was officially used for the last time in 1990 in Andorra, however, according to some sources, it is still used in India.
Scaphism is a cruel method of execution invented in Persia. The man was placed between two boats or hollowed-out tree trunks, placed on top of each other, with his head and limbs exposed. He was fed only honey and milk, which caused severe diarrhea. They also coated the body with honey to attract insects. After a while, the poor fellow was allowed into a pond with stagnant water, where there was already a huge number of insects, worms and other creatures. They all slowly ate his flesh and left maggots in the wounds. There is also a version that honey attracted only stinging insects. In any case, the person was doomed to long torment, lasting several days and even weeks.
The Assyrians used flaying for torture and execution. Like a captured animal, the man was skinned. They could rip off some or all of the skin.
Ling chi was used in China from the 7th century until 1905. This method involved death by cutting. The victim was tied to poles and deprived of some parts of the flesh. The number of cuts could be very different. They could make several small cuts, cut off some skin somewhere, or even deprive the victim of limbs. The number of cuts was determined by the court. Sometimes convicts were given opium. All this happened in a public place, and even after death, the bodies of the dead were left in plain sight for some time.
Wheeling was used in ancient Rome, and in the Middle Ages it began to be used in Europe. By modern times, wheeling had become widespread in Denmark, Germany, France, Romania, Russia (legislatively approved under Peter I), the USA and other countries. A person was tied to a wheel with large bones already broken or still intact, after which they were broken with a crowbar or clubs. A person who was still alive was left to die of dehydration or shock, whichever came first.
The copper bull is the favorite execution weapon of Phalarids, the tyrant of Agrigentus, who ruled in the second half of the 6th century BC. e. The person sentenced to death was placed inside a life-size hollow copper statue of a bull. A fire was lit under the bull. It was impossible to get out of the statue, and those watching could watch smoke coming out of the nostrils and hear the screams of the dying man.
Evisceration was used in Japan. The convict had some or all of his internal organs removed. The heart and lungs were cut out last to prolong the victim's suffering. Sometimes evisceration served as a method of ritual suicide.
Boiling began to be used about 3000 years ago. It was used in Europe and Russia, as well as some Asian countries. A person sentenced to death was placed in a cauldron, which could be filled not only with water, but also with fat, resin, oil or molten lead. At the moment of immersion, the liquid could already be boiling, or it would boil later. The executioner could hasten the onset of death or, conversely, prolong a person’s torment. It also happened that boiling liquid was poured onto a person or poured down his throat.
Impalement was first used by the Assyrians, Greeks and Romans. They impaled people 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 made in the genital area. Often the top of the stake was blunt so that the victim did not die immediately. The stake with the condemned person impaled on it was raised up and those sentenced to painful death slowly descended down it under the influence of gravity.
Hanging and quartering was used in medieval England to punish traitors to the motherland and criminals who committed a particularly serious act. A person was hanged, but so that he remained alive, after which he was deprived of his limbs. It could go so far as to cut off the unfortunate man’s genitals, gouge out his eyes and cut out his internal organs. If the person was still alive, then at the end his head was cut off. This execution lasted until 1814.
