Methods of Torture Throughout the Ages

1. Methods of Torture Throughout the Ages By: Derek Braley and Tommy Harris Block 1 Braley, Derek. "Edited Blood Spatter." 2013. JPG file.

2. Bronze Age Torture Braley, Derek. "Bronze Man Stabbed." 2013. GIFa file. Braley, Derek. "3D Bronze Skeletons." 2013. JPG file.

3. Brazen Bull Online, Wikipedia. Perillos Forced Into The Brazen Bull. 2013. Wikipedia, Wikipedia. Wikipedia. Web. 31 Oct. 2013. The Brazen Bull was one of the most terrifying torture devices to ever be used. Invented in Greece in 560 B.C, its main purpose was to slowly kill lawbreakers. Made entirely of bronze and large enough to fit a full-grown man inside of it, the Brazen Bull was truly scary… but its appearance wasn’t even half of it. When someone broke the law, they could be placed inside the bull. A fire was then lit beneath it, and the victim would slowly be roasted inside of the Bull. But what made this torture device absolutely inhumane was the two holes in the Bull’s nose; when a victim screamed, it came out the nose of the bronze beast and made the victim’s wails sound like an infuriated bull. Braley, Derek. "Faded Brazen Bull Picture #1." 2013. JPG file.

4. Scaphism Online, Trexity. Scaphism Modern. 2013. Tresixty, Tresixty. The 5 Most Undignified Deaths in History. Web. 31 Oct. 2013. Scaphism, more commonly known as “The Boats,” was a cruel form of torture devised by the ancient Persians. If convicted of a crime deemed to be worthy of such a punishment (ex. murder,) you were to be strapped between two boats and/or a hollow log and sent to float on a lake. The people who convicted you would then feed you milk and honey. Doesn’t sound too bad, right? Wrong. Such a diet forces your body to have many loose excrements per day. This attracted insects and various other critters to you, and they slowly ate your feces. If you hadn’t died from infection by then, they slathered you in honey and took the top boat off of you. This attracted even more insects, such as bees and wasps, and they continued to feed off of you and sting you repeatedly. After many days, the longest time ever recorded being a total of 17 days, you died of either infection, dehydration, or both.

5. The Rack When placed on the Rack, you knew you were really in for it. This torture device was first invented in the Bronze Ages, but was used all the way up to the Baroque Period, and was mostly used to extract confessions. Your hands and feet were strapped to wooden poles that, with the turn of a crank, would slowly separate farther from each other with each turn. Sometimes, they would go especially slow, causing excruciating pain. Other tortures could be used on you while this occurred. You were pulled apart until your arms and legs came out of their sockets; if you still wouldn’t confess, they would mutilate youuntil you did. Online, Wikipedia. A Torture Rack. 2013. Wikipedia, Wikipedia. Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 1 Nov. 2013.

6. Medieval Ages Torture Towsey, Daniel. Modern Guillotine. 2013. Atruthsoldier Wordpress, Wordpress. Why Are Modern Guillotines on Military Bases in America?. Web. 1 Nov. 2013. Braley, Derek. "Medieval Knight on Horse." 2013. JPG file.

7. Crocodile Tube The Crocodile Tube was a form of torture used mainly to extract confessions and punish treasonous criminals, although many other tortures usually followed it. Victims were put inside a metal, spike-lined tube with only their face and feet showing. The torturer could inflict wounds on your face and feet if you didn’t comply with his demands.

8. The Iron Maiden The Iron Maiden, also known as the Virgin of Nuremberg, was a torture device used to kill and punish lawbreakers. It was an large, man-sized iron coffin with a spike-laden door. You would be placed inside, and they would slam the door on you. The spikes would penetrate all non-vital places in your body. You were also deprived of light and sound, which eventually would lead to madness. This caused you to want to die, but you couldn’t until you bled out after a few hours, or even a few days. Braley, Derek. "Iron Maiden Edited." 2013. JPG file.

9. Thumbscrew Torture Thumbscrew Torture, also known as the “Pillywinks,” was a device used solely to extract confessions from the victim. Your fingers were placed within the device and they would slowly turn a lever, which would bring the inside of the device inward, slowly crushing your fingers. If you didn’t confess by then, they’d put it on your toes and repeat the process. If you still didn’t confess, they’d proceed to use other, more brutal methods. The Free Encyclopedia, Wikipedia. Thumbscrew Torture. 2013. Wikipedia, Wikipedia. Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 4 Nov. 2013. Helling, Frank. Mülheim zieht bei Gebühren-Trödlern die Daumenschrauben an. 2011. WAZ, Germany. Mülheim zieht bei Gebühren-Trödlern die Daumenschrauben an. Web. 4 Nov. 2013.

10. Baroque Age Torture .com, Featurepics. Chain Grunge Backround Illustration. 2013. FeaturePics, FeaturePics. featurepics.com. Web. 4 Nov. 2013. Collectables, Sideshow. Revolutionary War Redcoat - 64th Regiment Foot Sixth Scale Figure by Sideshow Collectibles. 2013. Sideshow Collectables, United States. Revolutionary War Redcoat - 64th Regiment Foot Sixth Scale Figure by Sideshow Collectibles. Web. 4 Nov. 2013.

11. Ling Chi Ling Chi, also known as “Slow Slicing” or “Death by a Thousand Cuts,” was a form of execution used in Asia until 1905. You would be tied to a wooden pole, then one-to-three people would cut you, slowly slicing off the skin from the upper portions of your chest and your thighs. Sometimes, if the right price was given to the executioner, they would drug you with opium to lessen the pain and cause a faster death. You would then either be stabbed through the heart to end the torture (again, usually for the right price,) or you would be left there for the birds to feed on you while you slowly died. When you died, they beheaded you, and showed your head to the public. The body would then be cut into many small pieces and burned, and the ashes would be given to your family. Herrick, Caroline. Chen Chieh-Jen. 2012. Asian Art, East 67 Street, New York City. Chen Chieh-jen | Asian Art. Web. 6 Nov. 2013.

12. The Breaking Wheel The Breaking Wheel was used mainly as a form of execution, although it could be used to extract confessions before they killed you. You would be secured to a large wooden wheel that would be turned upwards towards the sky, and they would begin to rotate the wheel. This was when they began to ”break you;” they would use a large hammer (much like a sledgehammer) to slowly break the bones in your limbs. After they’d broken all of the bones in your arms and legs, they’d then deliver a “mercy blow” to your chest or head that would kill you instantly. Dubrulle, Hugh. Breaking on the Wheel. 2013. Anselm College, Manchester, New Hampshire. HI103 Food for Thought. Web. 6 Nov. 2013.

13. Strappado Victims were tied up and hung from a rafter with their hands behind their backs. The torturer would eventually fasten a large weight to their feet to add to the pain of hanging by your body weight. It was meant to extract confessions by means of dislocating your arms and legs. Torturers usually resorted to this after they’d used other brutal tortures. the Free Encyclopedia, Wikipedia.File:Strappado.jpg. 2013. Wikipedia, Wikipedia. Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 6 Nov. 2013.

14. Modern Torture the Free Encyclopedia, Wikipedia.File:Abrams-transparent.png. 2013. Wikipedia, Wikipedia. Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 6 Nov. 2013. Rejali, Darius. Ice Water and Sweatboxes: The long and sadistic history behind the CIA's torture techniques.. 2009. Slate, www.slate.com. The history of CIA torture. Web. 6 Nov. 2013.

15. Freezing and Exposing This cruel form of torture is most commonly used in the prisons in the coldest provinces of China. It involves exposing you to temperatures of extreme heat for a certain amount of time, after which they would strip you of your clothes and dump freezing water on you. They would then leave you either in your jail cell with the windows open, or outside in the freezing cold. The latter usually resulted in the victim freezing overnight, while the former resulted in extreme hypothermia. .net, Clearwisdom. Freezing and Exposing Practitioners under Scorching Sun. 2004. Clearwisdom Collection, China.Clearwisdom Collection: Portrait of Tortures (Graphic Photos). Web. 6 Nov. 2013.

16. Al-Qaeda Torture Although there are many more techniques than listed here, here are three that really caught our attention: Blowtorch Torture: The name almost speaks for itself; the torturer would take a blowtorch and torch your skin until you gave them the information that they needed. Beatings with Cables: Once again, the name says it all; the torturers would remove you of almost all of your clothing and whip you with long, thin, spiked cables until they’d extracted all necessary information. Power Drilling: They would forcibly sit you down in a chair and strap your hands and feet down. Next, they would pull out a power drill and begin drilling into your fingers and hands, increasing the bit size every time you refused to talk. They would then move on and do the same to your toes and feet.

17. Waterboarding CarenBohan, Laura MacInnis.'Waterboarding is torture,' says Obama. 2011. The Christian Science Monitor, The Christian Science Monitor Online.'Waterboarding is torture,' says Obama. Web. 7 Nov. 2013. Waterboarding was used mainly by the American government during the Bush administration. It simulates drowning; a rag would be put over your eyes, mouth, and nose. Water would then be poured on the rag so breathing would become difficult. It was usually used on terrorists and treasonous individuals. Username, Gags. Waterboarding. 2013. Common Sense Evaluation, Common Sense Evaluation Online. Waterboarding >> Common Sense Evaluation. Web. 7 Nov. 2013.

18. Last, but certainly not least, is the final form of torture. We both took one look at this and shuddered; this is by farthe most cruel form of punishment we’ve shown yet. The final torture technique is…

19. Homework Many students consider their homework assignments pure torture; we agree. We miss the days of first grade, when we only had addition worksheets and were blissfully unaware of the torturous assignments that were soon to come. Eliska Counce, mom of a fourth-grader, writes “My 10-year-old son has just started fourth grade. And two weeks into school, I’m already starting to hyperventilate about both the quantity and difficulty of his homework.” She then goes on to write, “’We have high expectations of our students!’ chirps my son’s teacher. Evidently, these expectations include my conducting at least two hours more instruction once I get my pre-teen home. Every night this week we’ve done math questions, 20 minutes of reading and English homework. There have been summaries due of the books he’s read. A poem crafted from vocabulary words. Computer work.” All of this for a fourth grader! This horrific, terrifying torture needs to be stopped immediately. Schwartz, Katrina. Parents Wonder: Why So Much Homework?. 2012. MindShift, MindShift. Parents Wonder: Why So Much Homework?. Web. 6 Nov. 2013.

20. Bibliography "Breaking wheel." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 30 Oct. 2013. Web. 6 Nov. 2013. http://en.wikipedia.org/wik/Breaking_wheel Little, John W.. "Al-Qaeda’s Torture Manual." Blogs of War. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 Nov. 2013. <http://blogsofwar.com/2007/05/24/al-qaedas-torture-manual/>. "Strappado." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 9 Jan. 2013. Web. 6 Nov. 2013. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strappado>. Mathews, Jay. "Homework torture for some gifted students." Washington Post. The Washington Post, 25 Nov. 2012. Web. 7 Nov. 2013. <http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/class-struggle/post/homework-torture-for-some-gifted-students/2012/11/24/eb8c9200-36a3-11e2-9cfa-e41bac906cc9_blog.html>. Counce, Eliska. "Eliska Counce: Isn’t School Enough? Why Torture Families with Homework?." TownSquareBuzz. N.p., 6 Sept. 2013. Web. 7 Nov. 2013. <http://www.townsquarebuzz.com/eliska-counce-isnt-school-enough-why-torture-families-with-homework/>. Dictionary, Urban. "Urban Dictionary: homework." Urban Dictionary. N.p., n.d. Web. 7 Nov. 2013. <http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=homework&page=3>. "The Rack Torture." The Rack Torture. Lords and Ladies Online, n.d. Web. 7 Nov. 2013. <http://www.lordsandladies.org/the-rack-torture.htm>. "Rack (torture)." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 11 Feb. 2013. Web. 7 Nov. 2013. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rack_(torture) Israel, David. "9 Insane Torture Techniques." Mental Floss. Mental Floss, 9 Oct. 2009. Web. 7 Nov. 2013. http://mentalfloss.com/article/23038/9-insane-torture-techniques "Surviving History: Brazen Bull."History.com. A&E Television Networks, n.d. Web. 7 Nov. 2013. <http://www.history.com/videos/surviving-history-brazen-bull#surviving-history-brazen-bull>. "Brazen bull." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 11 Mar. 2013. Web. 7 Nov. 2013. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brazen_bull>. "Medieval Torture." Medieval Torture. N.p., n.d. Web. 7 Nov. 2013. http://www.medievalwarfare.info/torture "Status of Chinese People." Status of Chinese People. N.p., 7 Jan. 2007. Web. 6 Nov. 2013. <http://chinaview.wordpress.com/2007/01/20/photo-china-modern-torture-methods-7-freezing-and-exposing/>. "The Virgin of Nuremberg (The Maiden)."The Virgin of Nuremberg (The Maiden). Joax, 29 Nov. 2008. Web. 6 Nov. 2013. <http://www.medievality.com/maiden-nuremberg.html>. Frater, Jamie. "Top 10 Gruesome Methods of Execution." Listverse. N.p., 12 Sept. 2007. Web. 7 Nov. 2013. <http://listverse.com/2007/09/12/top-10-gruesome-methods-of-execution/>. "Scaphism." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 23 Oct. 2013. Web. 7 Nov. 2013. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scaphism>. Sparky, Old. "Execution of the day."Execution of the day. N.p., 6 Feb. 2013. Web. 7 Nov. 2013. <http://eotd.wordpress.com/category/death-penalty/scaphism/>. "Slow slicing." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 11 Feb. 2013. Web. 7 Nov. 2013. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slow_slicing "ExecutedToday.com."ExecutedToday.com. N.p., 10 Apr. 2008. Web. 7 Nov. 2013. <http://www.executedtoday.com/2008/04/10/1905-fou-tchou-li-lingchi/>. Grabianowski, Ed. "10 Medieval Torture Devices." HowStuffWorks. N.p., n.d. Web. 7 Nov. 2013. <http://history.howstuffworks.com/history-vs-myth/10-medieval-torture-devices2.htm>. "Thumbscrew Torture." Thumbscrew Torture. N.p., 29 Nov. 2008. Web. 7 Nov. 2013. http://www.medievality.com/thumbscrew.html "Crocodile Tube." Crocodile Tube. N.p., 29 Nov. 2008. Web. 7 Nov. 2013. <http://www.medievality.com/crocodile-torture.html>. Smiley, Brett. "10 Horrifying Medieval Torture Devices and What They Could Be Used For Today." Mandatory. N.p., 1 July 2013. Web. 7 Nov. 2013. <http://www.mandatory.com/2013/07/01/10-horrifying-medieval-torture-devices-and-what-they-could-be-us/8>.