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One of the strangest articles I've come across on Wikipedia is about the brazen bull[0], whereby the inventor of said bull pitches the idea to the ruler of the

One of the strangest articles I've come across on Wikipedia is about the brazen bull[0], whereby the inventor of said bull pitches the idea to the ruler of the land, only to be thrown in it himself after the ruler is repulsed that such a thing should exist. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brazen_bull https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brazen_bull

jgtrosh 7y ago
The legend adds that he was removed from the Bull and then thrown from a cliff ; I suppose the ruler did not want to be associated with using the device for its intended use.
lqet 7y ago
Well, the article states that > Some modern scholars question if the brazen bull ever really existed, attributing reports of the invention to early propaganda. However, it certainly wouldn't be the most barbaric form of execution humans have invented [0]. > Pendulum: A type of machine with an axe head for a weight that slices closer to the victim's torso over time. > Scaphism: An Ancient Persian method of execution in which the condemned was placed in between two boats, force fed a mixture of honey and milk, and left floating in a stagnant pond. The victim would then suffer from severe diarrhea, which would attract insects that would burrow, nest, and feed on the victim. > Blowing from a gun: Tied to the mouth of a cannon, which is then fired. > Blood Eagle: Cutting the skin of the victim by the spine, breaking the ribs so they resembled blood-stained wings, and pulling the lungs out through the wounds in the victim's back. Used by the Vikings. > Flaying: The skin is removed from the body. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_methods_of_capital_punishment https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_methods_of_capital_pun...
- deleted 7y ago
  [deleted]
- wazoox 7y ago
  There's the famous Afghan skin bag: cut the skin around the belly, pull it over the head of the victim and tie it like a bag ; then let the victim bake in the sun and slowly die of exposure, while being half-asphyxiated inside their own skin. Oh, of course the victim will try not to fall on the ground for a while, where dust, ants and insect will exacerbate their suffering. IIRC you can agonize this way a couple of days before dying of thirst.
  - Sohcahtoa82 7y ago
    Wouldn't the victim bleed to death very quickly?
- orblivion 7y ago
  To be honest, getting blown apart by a cannon sounds great compared to any of these other ones, including the bull.
  - MrMember 7y ago
    No kidding. Probably quite gruesome to the spectators but a very quick death for the condemned.
- the_af 7y ago
  Note that at least some of those execution methods are suspected of being either exaggerations or outright fabrications. From Wikipedia: - Brazen bull: "Some modern scholars question if the brazen bull ever really existed, attributing reports of the invention to early propaganda." - Scaphism: "The primary source is Plutarch's 'Life of Artaxerxes II', where he attributes the story to Ctesias, a notoriously suspect source" - Blood Eagle: "There is continuing debate about whether the ritual was a literary invention, a mistranslation of the original texts, or an authentic historical practice."

jgtrosh 7y ago

The legend adds that he was removed from the Bull and then thrown from a cliff ; I suppose the ruler did not want to be associated with using the device for its intended use.

lqet 7y ago

Well, the article states that > Some modern scholars question if the brazen bull ever really existed, attributing reports of the invention to early propaganda. However, it certainly wouldn't be the most barbaric form of execution humans have invented [0]. > Pendulum: A type of machine with an axe head for a weight that slices closer to the victim's torso over time. > Scaphism: An Ancient Persian method of execution in which the condemned was placed in between two boats, force fed a mixture of honey and milk, and left floating in a stagnant pond. The victim would then suffer from severe diarrhea, which would attract insects that would burrow, nest, and feed on the victim. > Blowing from a gun: Tied to the mouth of a cannon, which is then fired. > Blood Eagle: Cutting the skin of the victim by the spine, breaking the ribs so they resembled blood-stained wings, and pulling the lungs out through the wounds in the victim's back. Used by the Vikings. > Flaying: The skin is removed from the body. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_methods_of_capital_punishment https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_methods_of_capital_pun...

deleted 7y ago
[deleted]
wazoox 7y ago
There's the famous Afghan skin bag: cut the skin around the belly, pull it over the head of the victim and tie it like a bag ; then let the victim bake in the sun and slowly die of exposure, while being half-asphyxiated inside their own skin. Oh, of course the victim will try not to fall on the ground for a while, where dust, ants and insect will exacerbate their suffering. IIRC you can agonize this way a couple of days before dying of thirst.
- Sohcahtoa82 7y ago
  Wouldn't the victim bleed to death very quickly?
orblivion 7y ago
To be honest, getting blown apart by a cannon sounds great compared to any of these other ones, including the bull.
- MrMember 7y ago
  No kidding. Probably quite gruesome to the spectators but a very quick death for the condemned.
the_af 7y ago
Note that at least some of those execution methods are suspected of being either exaggerations or outright fabrications. From Wikipedia: - Brazen bull: "Some modern scholars question if the brazen bull ever really existed, attributing reports of the invention to early propaganda." - Scaphism: "The primary source is Plutarch's 'Life of Artaxerxes II', where he attributes the story to Ctesias, a notoriously suspect source" - Blood Eagle: "There is continuing debate about whether the ritual was a literary invention, a mistranslation of the original texts, or an authentic historical practice."