Executions are no fun. Unless you happen to be in the audience. For most of history, public executions were seen as a legitimate form of entertainment. Large crowds would come from all over, and the wealthy would pay good money for front row seats. Executioners would even sell souvenirs. Like the rope used in a hanging. Or the body parts of executed criminals. But this commercialism is actually one of the less disturbing aspects of the history of execution. Unlike the gut-wrenching execution methods themselves.
Brutal Execution Methods
10 Keelhauling
Punishment has always been especially harsh for sailors. A necessary evil to prevent mutiny. By far the most feared punished of all at sea was Keelhauling. It involved a line of rope being looped around the ship. Then, you’d be attached to it and thrown overboard. If you’re lucky, it will only be done once or twice. You can even hope to recover from any broken bones. But if it’s an execution, they would just keep dragging you back and forth until you die. The main pain here is not from the water, but being dragged against the ship. This includes the rock hard barnacles. Keelhauling was likely a rare punishment. Historical records rarely mention it. But if you saw those ropes come out, it was not your lucky day!
9 Impalement
One of the more visually impressive execution methods is impalement. Famously used in psychological warfare by Vlad the Impaler, thousands of his enemies suffered it. When foreign armies invaded his land, they were greeted by a forest of human corpses. The invaders had an overwhelming advantage in numbers. Yet they were so scared by the forest of impaled corpses that they just gave up and went home. And if you’re having trouble visualizing this, it is said to have involved 20 thousand corpses. So you can’t really blame them for running away.
But the history of impalement goes back much further, and there are numerous methods of doing it. In ancient times, victims were usually impaled through the stomach or chest. Vlad’s favourite method, though, was to have the pole inserted from the anus to the shoulder. This was the method designed to prolong death for as long as possible.
8 Walled Up Alive
This next execution method will sound like something out of an 18 hundreds horror story. But there’s a good reason for that. Immurement is the term for being walled up alive. You’d be surprised how many people were executed in this way, from medieval knights, to modern day serial killers. Legends tell of unfaithful wives being walled up by their husbands. Edgar Allen Poe featured it in one of his most disturbing stories. At one point it even happened to Thomas the Tank Engine. But it was a real, and very brutal punishment. With no hope of escape, victims’ muffled screams are the final sign of life. Fading out only a few days after Immurement begins.
7 Execution By Wild Animals
Execution by wild animals was a common practice in the ancient world. In the Roman colosseum, criminals were condemned to be killed by a wide range of predators. Leopards, lions, wolves, crocodiles, bears, and more. It was a penalty withheld for specific crimes. Like kidnapping children, or employing sorcerers to harm others. Meanwhile, in much of Asia people were being killed by elephants. Typically, they were held down and their head crushed by a big dumb elephant foot. Elephants have always been a symbol of power. So for execution they were used almost exclusively by royalty. And as a practice, execution by elephant only faded going into the 1800s.
6 Hanged, Drawn and Quartered
We’ve all heard the term hanged drawn and quartered, but it’s a lot less relaxing an experience than you might assume. First, the prisoner would be dragged through town behind a horse. Then, they would be hanged. Not enough to kill them yet, but enough to cause extreme pain in front of a jeering crowd. Next came the worst stage – disembowelment. While still alive, their internal organs were pulled out and burned in front of them. If still somehow alive after the burning, they were beheaded. The body was cut into four pieces and publicly displayed. As you can imagine, it was only typically used in cases of high treason. It’s purpose was to make an example of an offender. The last time someone was sentenced to it was in 1839.
5 Brazen Bull
The Brazen Bull is one of the most ridiculous methods of murder of all time. And that is saying something. Built for the tyrant of an ancient Greek city state, it was a large hollow bull. Cast entirely from bronze. On it’s side was a small door, through which a victim was placed inside the brazen bull. The door was sealed. A fire lit underneath, and the victim roasted alive. Just that alone is horrifying – and the most cartoonishly evil part is yet to come. Special acoustic tubes were built within the bull. So that the painful screams of a victim would be distorted into the roaring noise of a real bull. Smoke would also be emitted from holes in the bulls nose. This all came together to make it a whimsical experience for anyone watching.
4 Breaking Wheel
In medieval times, the most feared punishment of all was to be broken on the wheel. It began with a large wooden wheel, the kind seen on wagons. In front of a jeering crowd, the criminal would be bound to it. When helplessly tied up the executioner would begin to break their limbs. Smashing them with a hammer, to be specific. The number of swings depended on the nature of the crime. But with every swing the crowd cheered. An experienced executioner could keep the victim alive for numerous days. In some cases, they were hanged by the wheel like a strange form of crucifixion. One unusual case saw a victim last four days and four nights.
3 Flaying
Flaying. Even the sound of that word feels harsh. There really isn’t much to say about it. It’s just unnecessarily cruel. To be fair, that could be said for all the execution methods mentioned in this list. If you’re not familiar, it involves removing a victims skin. This typically causes them to die either from blood loss, hyperthermia, or sheer shock. It was regularly performed as a form of sacrifice by the Aztec. They did so to please a god known as Xipe Totec – the Flayed One. According to tradition, he would flay himself every year as a way of guaranteeing a good harvest for the Aztec. Which I think is very kind of him. Creepy and weird, but very kind.
2 Scaphism
According to the ancient historian Plutarch, the Persian empire had developed some ingenious, and terrifying execution methods. Because the empire being known for it’s tolerance, they needed an especially cruel penalty for treason. That punishment was to be tied to a small boat, and smeared in a thick mixture of milk and honey. So far that might not sound too bad. But it’s about to get a lot worse. Under the hot sun, it’s sweet smell will soon attract all kinds of insects. Unable to move, the traitor is slowly eaten alive. And when I say slowly, the agony was said to last more than two weeks.
1 Slow Slicing
Like all punishments I fear, the worst execution methods of all are Chinese. It is known by many different names. Lingchi, Lingering Death, or simply Death by a thousand cuts. Different regions had different methods. But generally speaking, the criminal is bound to a pole or wooden frame. With an especially sharp blade, strips of flesh would then be cut away from their person. Depending on the crime, thousands of incisions could be made. These were primarily to the arms legs and chest. The length this would take to kill was totally unpredictable. Every execution was different. If able to, you might wish to bribe the executioner to make his early cuts deeper. To make them more likely to kill swiftly.
Given how brutal this is, you might expect it to have been outlawed many many centuries ago. But no. The last time it was carried out by the Chinese government was in 1905. Believe it or not, this final execution was actually caught on video.