HISTORY'S GRUESOME METHODS OF EXECUTION
Added on: 14th Mar 2015
BREAKING WHEEL
Also called the Catherine Wheel, the victim would be tied to it and
then spun around as the executioner delivered bone shattering
blows to their body.
THE GRIDIRON
This basically involved broiling the victim over a bed of hot coals.
The death was not a quick one.
BLOOD EAGLE
Mentioned in some Nordic Sagas, it involved breaking the ribs of the
victims out of their chest to resemble wings and then pulling their
lungs out through the opening.
Salt would then be sprinkled on the wound.
FLAYING
This involved removing a person’s skin from their body.
Quite often it would then be hung in public for all to see.
SAWING
Used in Asia and Europe, the victim would be hung upside down and
then sawn in half starting at the groin. This would ensure that enough
blood was in the brain to keep the victim conscious until the large
vessels of the abdomen were severed.
UPRIGHT JERKER
Originating in the US, this method of capital punishment is now often
used in countries like Iran. It is similar to hanging, but instead of
being dropped from a height to sever the spinal cord,
a crane jerks them upwards.
MAZZATELLO
The victim would be led to a scaffold in a public square with
nothing more than an executioner and a coffin. The executioner
would raise a mallet and bring it down on the victim’s head. Typically
this would only stun the victim so their throat would be slit
immediately afterwards.
BESTIARII
The Romans would throw political prisoners in an arena naked
and watch as they were devoured by wild animals.
EXECUTION BY ELEPHANT
Mainly used in southeast Asia, the elephants were trained to prolong
the death of the victim and many times this method was used to show
that the ruler was even in command of nature.
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