Nose removal, baked alive inside a metal bull and skull-crushing elephants – the bizarre ancient punishments that will make you squirm
ANCIENT people have lived in simpler times, but life was brutal for those who stepped on the wrong side of the law.
Criminals were subjected to a strange array of punishments thousands of years ago. Some were simply humiliating, while others were unimaginably gruesome.
Here are six of the weirdest as found by history site Ancient Origins.
1) Nose cutting
The Ancient Egyptians liked to lop people’s noses off if they broke the rules of the Kingdom.
Criminals were then exiled to the prison city Rhinocolura, near Gaza, which was filled with nose-less crooks.
The cruel punishment was often dished out to petty criminals and thieves, as well as corrupt government officials.
After Ramses III’s wife slit his throat in his sleep, her co-conspirators were sentenced to have their noses removed.
2) Shaming masks
Crooks were given shame masks in Europe in the 17th and 18th centuries in a bid to stop them offending again.
The uncomfortable apparel was made of solid metal and would have been painful when strapped tightly to the face.
It was meant to humiliate those forced to wear it, with the punishment commonly dolled out to women found guilty of gossiping, eavesdropping and lying.
One particular contraption was locked to the offender’s head 24/7 and featured a piece of metal studded with spikes placed in the mouth to stop the felon nattering.
3) Death by elephant
Ancient execution methods were often brutal, but few were as terrifying as this.
Elephants were used to crush and even stab crooks to death in Medieval South and Southeast Asia. They were particularly popular in India, where the beasts were used to kill crooks as recently as the 19th Century.
The most common form saw elephants stamp on the torso or head of victims.
Elephants are clever creatures, and reportedly could be taught to slice criminals to death with “pointed blades fitted to their tusks”.
4) The Iron Maiden
The infamous iron maiden was reportedly popular in Europe during the Middle Ages – and now lends its name to one of Britain’s biggest heavy metal bands.
It’s an iron cabinet with a hinged front laden with metal spikes on the inside that would stab the victim as the device closed.
It’s not clear whether the contraptions were ever actually used to punish criminals.
Some believe they were made up by 18th century historians based on other, similar torture methods.
5) Burned to death in a metal bull
Not one for the squeamish. The Ancient Greeks used to punish people by cooking them inside a huge bronze bull.
A criminal was locked inside the device via a door on its side and a fire was then lit underneath, slowly burning the victim to death.
Reportedly, the execution method served as entertainment for passersby.
The bull had small metal pipes fitted into its nose. As the victim screamed in pain, their cries played through it as a low bellow.
6) Trial by ordeal
Trials by ordeal typically involved having criminals perform a dangerous stunt in a do-or-die bid to redeem themselves.
If they survived, they were proclaimed innocent, while death would mean certain guilt.
One of the most famous examples involved witches in Medieval Europe.
The accused were thrown into water with their hands and feet bound. If they floated, they were a witch, but if they sank, they were innocent.
An estimated 50,000 people were executed for witchcraft in Europe.
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Which torture method do you think is the worst? Let us know in the comments!
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