What were the most brutal forms of capital punishment in ancient times?

 

1) The Blood Eagle

The method of execution allegedly carried out by the Vikings was by tying the hands and feet of the victim at the beginning to prevent any movement. The torturer would then tear the skin and dissect the victim's back, making the ribs bent so that they face out of the body. It is believed that victims often survive this part of the procedure. This torture makes the internal organs visible. Salt is often applied to wounds to increase pain. Eventually, the lungs will be pulled out of the body to make it appear as if the victim actually has a pair of "wings".

2) Scaphism

Scaphism, aka "the boat," was an ancient Persian method of execution in which a person would die from being eaten alive. The victim will be placed between two wooden canoes or tree trunks that have been hollowed out, with the legs and head protruding. The executioners would then force the victim to consume a mixture of milk and honey until he developed diarrhea, then the victim would be surrounded by feces and vomit, not only that, a mixture of milk and honey would be applied to sensitive areas of the body so as to attract insects to eat their bodies .

and lay eggs in the open hole. With the ration of milk and a mixture of honey and water, the victim was less likely to die of hunger or thirst. Death will be very slow and usually comes from septic shock or gangrene (tissue death that occurs in the limbs or skin due to loss of blood supply). A note by the Greek historian Plutiarch claims that the victim took about 17 days to finally die.

3) Judas Cradle

This method was widely used in Medieval Europe, the purpose of this torture was to obtain various kinds of confessions by forcing naked victims into pyramid-shaped chairs. The victim's legs are often tied in such a way that moving one leg increases the pain by forcing the other leg to move with it. The torturer was able to raise and lower the victim with a rope and pulley system, which pushed the penetrating parts deeper into the victim's body. Some torturers will also apply oil to the torture device, which can increase the pain. The tools are rarely or not washed at all, increasing the chance of death from infection. In some cases, victims will be shaken or forced to fall repeatedly on pyramid-shaped chairs to obtain important information.

4) Lead Sprinkler

This utensil commonly used in the Middle Ages contained molten lead, tar, boiling oil, and other hot substances. The torturer poured metal at one end to allow the extremely hot substance to drip onto the victim's stomach or other body parts. Executions sometimes occurred by pouring molten silver into the eye, causing severe pain or even death.