assyrian torture methods

Many crimes in Assyria were punished by dismemberment or death. Wikimedia Commons. It shows the decapitated heads of the enemy Ummite soldiers being carried away by vultures. Middle Assyrian Period. The cutting off of feet, lips and noses, blinding, gutting and the ripping out of the heart were all standard punishments in this corner of the ancient world (Hamblin). and remained in use up to the 19th century. 436 0 obj<>stream I made its destruction more complete than that by a flood. 434 0 obj<> endobj Torture methods are known to be brutal ways of enforcing punishment and squeezing out the truth from perpetrators. Commonly resulting in the dislocation of the arms and shoulders, the longer-term effects of the method are less visible, causing lifelong nerve, ligament, and tendon damage leading to potential paralysis. A pillar of heads I erected in front of the city.. This torture method apparently had a long tradition in Scandinavia and a couple of direct accounts were mentioned in old skaldic poems. Ironically, in a reversal of fortunes for the Babylonians, Darius I of Persia would later impale 3,000 of their own in vengeance. Then the rest would be scattered about the country. Jamie founded Listverse due to an insatiable desire to share fascinating, obscure, and bizarre facts. I don't think torturers can be human. They seized my feet and said: If it pleases you, kill! In the sixth season of the television series, This page was last edited on 1 March 2023, at 13:11. Skinning was a torture method used in various civilizations throughout history and it involves removing a portion of skin from a human being while still alive (although in some cases it is carried out post-mortem) and trying to keep intact the portion removed. Their reputation was so fierce that Jonah fled in fear when God commanded him to speak in Ninevah, Assyria's capital (Jonah 1:1?3).Assyrian soldiers were equipped with the latest weaponry, including barbed arrows, catapults, and siege machines. If you kissed another mans wife, they would cut off your lower lip with an axe. In fact, impalement, if done properly, permits the individual to survive for several days, with the longest known victim suffering for more than eight days. 0000001565 00000 n 0000001458 00000 n Brewer (2012), Crucifixion in Antiquity: An Inquiry into the Background and Significance of the New Testament Terminology of Crucifixion. Tied to a wooden frame in a public place, small pieces of flesh would be slowly cut from the body. Torture is unpleasant, as indeed is the intended purpose of the practice. Its territory covered approximately . This form of execution became famous when Giles Corey, an American farmer charged with witchcraft during the Salem Witch Trials. The victim would suffer hours of agonizing pain as the rats dig a hole through his body, after which he would inevitably die. Ashurbanipal: King of Assyria, Hunter of Lions - TheCollector The method was done by breaking the criminals bones and bludgeoning them to death. 0000001500 00000 n updated March 25, 2018, 6:05 pm, by February 1934. 11 tortures from the Middle Ages that were reserved for women The article "Grisly Assyrian Record of Torture and Death" by Erika Bleibtreu gives an insight into the ways of the Assyrian military campaigns and battles. Aside from inflicting agonizing pain, one of the main purposes of this method was to inflict severe humiliation upon the victim. There were no accurate details of how this method of execution was carried out. The Zhengde Emperor flayed six rebels,[9] and Zhang Xianzhong also flayed many people. Then the inquisitor would heat up the other end of the cage, leaving the panicked rats with no choice but to eat their way out through the victims flesh. 0000001020 00000 n Instead, asphyxiation is the most common cause of death in live burials, with the individual, unless carefully buried, unable to breathe. Its origin dates back to 530 A.D., And throughout the years, people have come up with new ways to perform these torturous acts probably hoping to obtain the truth efficiently or just to satisfy their sick pleasures. Originally described in Plutarchs Life of Artaxerxes II, the first recorded, if challenged, use of scaphism was against a Persian soldier named Mithridates in 401 BCE. Gradually, his body was consumed after seventeen days of being eaten from both within and without. Although women were excluded from these practices and doctors were required to be present, the Inquisition nevertheless enjoyed near limitless authority to inflict suffering upon those entrusted to their custody. The early Assyrians were a warrior society. The victims bones would be crushed and would sometimes burst through the skin. Life under the threat of Assyrian was horrifyingfor the Assyrians as well as their victims. The passage of the Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution in 1791, prohibiting cruel and unusual punishments, was a direct response to this wartime practice and an attempt to prevent any further applications in the fledgling nation. This excruciating method has been used throughout history ever since then, and probably before as well. The namesake for this torture was the Christian martyr, Saint Catherine. They invented the battering ram, a device that would have seemed completely unstoppable in their time. Sometimes, they got creative. Appearing also in Malay history and culture, it has been contended the Siamese employed sprouts from the Nipah palm in an identical fashion to bamboo torture during the 1821 invasion of Kedah. Another historic method of execution which served as a form of torture in its own right, the punishment of being hung, drawn, and quartered originated in England during the Middle Ages. I flayed many right through my land and draped their skins over the walls, he boasts in one. Men had to right to murder adulterous wives. A Breast Ripper, on display at a torture museum in Freiburg im Breisgau, Baden-Wrttemberg, Germany (c. 15th century). Made from iron and heated to ensure an easier tear, the spikes of the ripper would be attached to a convicted womans breast. The use of torture and mutilation as a fear tactic did not become a more common practice until the Assyrian Empire was built. Thats exactly the experience of modern-day soldiers whove been involved in close hand-to-hand combat.. The ancient Assyrian were among the most ruthless of all ancient warriors. The use of rats in this manner is believed to have originated in Europe, with two variants of the practice emerging concurrently. Attracting bugs and vermin, whilst also inducing diarrhea to lure additional parasites, the victim would be gradually consumed by the animals as they fed upon them. The origins of the torture date to as early as ancient Babylon, with the Code of Hammurabi (c. 1772 BCE) detailing the punishment of impalement for women convicted of murdering her husband. 10. It had an iron-capped ram that swung from chains, letting it crush its way through enemy walls like never before. During the Yuan dynasty (1271-1368) 100 cuts were traditional, after which the condemned was dispatched with a strike to the heart; by the time of the Ming, records indicate as many as 3,000 cuts were made over as long as three days. Victory Stele of Eannatum, King of Lagash, Called the Vulture Steleearly dynastic period, c. 2450 bc. Shakespeare referenced the practice in The Winters Tale, whilst the legendary fictitious hunter Allan Quartermain experiences a vision of the brutal technique. Usually, a cage filled with rats would be placed on top of the restrained victims stomach. One king, Esarhaddon, made noblemen wear necklaces with their kings heads on them. The act of inflicting physical or psychological pain upon an individual, torture has served both a human as well as a judicial function since our earliest emergence into recorded history. When I did not, he hit me with a timing belt. . Wikimedia Commons. Ernst G. Jung, in his Kleine Kulturgeschichte der Haut ("A short cultural history of the skin"), provides an essay in which he outlines the Neo-Assyrian tradition of flaying human beings. 2y.-;!KZ ^i"L0- @8(r;q7Ly&Qq4j|9 All of Assyria was subject to their resettlement policy, which uprooted whole families and moved them across the country. Flaying. He eventually died after two days of being pressed. The sailor would be tied to a rope that encircled the underside of the ship, whereupon, being thrown overboard, they would be dragged underneath the ship and along the keel to emerge on the other side. HyTSwoc [5laQIBHADED2mtFOE.c}088GNg9w '0 Jb The judges of ancient Babylon were particularly enthusiastic about instilling fear in wrong doers, prisoners of war, or anyone that needed to be punished for any type of crime. Using a heated vessel to contain the vermin close to the human, the rodent, growing increasingly desperate to escape its own suffering, is compelled to burrow into the flesh of the victim. The stake would be hammered in with a mallet, and it would come out at either his breast, head, or shoulders. 0000006301 00000 n Tortured by the Syrian Bashar al-Assad regime in prison for seven years, Muhlis al-Drubi cannot forget the horrors he experienced, including having boiling water poured over him and reverse. Designed to deter witnesses from repeated the offense of the condemned, crucifixions were deliberately orchestrated events. If a man was caught with another man, the law said, they shall turn him into a eunuch. Adultery was punishable by death. As a method of both torture and execution, impalement consists of the aggressive penetration of victims by a pole. "F$H:R!zFQd?r9\A&GrQhE]a4zBgE#H *B=0HIpp0MxJ$D1D, VKYdE"EI2EBGt4MzNr!YK ?%_&#(0J:EAiQ(()WT6U@P+!~mDe!hh/']B/?a0nhF!X8kc&5S6lIa2cKMA!E#dV(kel }}Cq9 A military culture. Entering Europe and becoming a popular punishment for collaboration during the Thirty Years War, Vlad III of Wallachias impalement of more than 20,000 individuals earned him his immortality as Dracula. Living persons, either willingly or forced as part of entombed chattel, were frequently buried alongside deceased people of status. Hypothesized to originate from the Kingdom of the Franks, by the time of the Holy Roman Empire it formed a staple of the legal system. If you think you can handle it, then heres a list of ancient torture methods thatll be sure to make your toes curl. Lingchi, also known as death by a thousand cuts, was a form of execution used in China from around 900 AD until it was banned in 1905. Equally, in 1675 the Sikh martyr Bhai Dayala was subjected to boiling after refusing to convert to Islam; according to legend, as he burned Dayala calmly recited Sikh scripture. Assyria, 1365-609 B.C. | Essay | The Metropolitan Museum of Art When their year at war ended and they were allowed to return home to their families, they lived lives haunted by ghosts of the people theyd inflicted all these torments upon. Both named victims of the blood eagle Halfdan Long-Leg and lla of Northumbria were of royal blood, lending credence to speculation the ritual was reserved for persons of special importance. Scaphism, also known as the boats, is a disputed method of Persian torture and execution. The men of Assyrian army reported experiences that modern psychologists say show wide-spread symptoms of post-traumatic stress. This would result to the body looking like a spread eagle, thus the name of the torture method. This is often referred to as flaying alive. 0 Photo credit: Wikimedia. HWF}Wc/ v2`L&_Tu1M*$qt{o_|eo? As with all human endeavors, we gradually perfected the art of torture over the centuries, refining the necessary tools to inflict the greatest possible pain upon our unfortunate victims. Activists are now calling on Congress to place more sanctions . When it comes to psychological warfare in the form of sheer brutality, impalement wasn't the only thing the ancient Assyrians turned tothey had other methods of scaring the life out of their neighbors. Whilst historians have questioned whether or not the brazen bull truly existed or was merely an early form of propaganda against an unpopular ruler, it enjoys a prolonged legacy nonetheless. National Geographic Society (June 18, 2014), The Great Fire of Rome, Stephen Dando-Collins, Da Capo Press (September 2010), Piracy in the Ancient World, H.A. Even if he gets lowered down slowly in order for his body to avoid the barnacles, he would still suffer from possible drowning or a head trauma. The dermatologist Ernst G. Jung says that the main causes of death due to skinning . Vikings discovering North America. Flaying of humans is used as a method of torture or execution, depending on how much of the skin is removed. If the king was merciful, they would be sent to a ruined kingdom on the outskirts of the nation that would be forced to rebuild. Ancient Mesopotamia: Assyrian Army and Warriors - Ducksters A ritualized method of torture and execution, the Viking practice of the "blood eagle" stands among the most brutal and controversial of historical tortures. xref Flaying - Wikipedia Among the alleged cruelties bestowed upon these religious minorities was the so-called Roman Candle. Heating the bowls with charcoal, the rats would gnaw into the very bowels of the victim. Some crimes were dealt with in savage ways. endstream endobj 435 0 obj<>>>/LastModified(D:20030926134002)/MarkInfo<>>> endobj 437 0 obj[438 0 R 439 0 R 440 0 R] endobj 438 0 obj<>>> endobj 439 0 obj<>>> endobj 440 0 obj<>>> endobj 441 0 obj<>/Font<>/XObject<>/ProcSet[/PDF/Text/ImageB/ImageC]/ExtGState<>>>/StructParents 0>> endobj 442 0 obj<> endobj 443 0 obj[/ICCBased 449 0 R] endobj 444 0 obj<> endobj 445 0 obj<> endobj 446 0 obj<>stream The judges of ancient Babylon were particularly enthusiastic. . A ritualized method of torture and execution, the Viking practice of the blood eagle stands among the most brutal and controversial of historical tortures. to deny an afterlife); sometimes the skin is used, again for deterrence, esoteric/ritualistic purposes, etc. 0000008971 00000 n This article has been adapted from its original source. Jung provides some examples of this triumphant rhetoric. Allegedly originating in Ceylon, with the first recorded account of bamboo torture stemming from a Madras civilian traveling during the 1820s in India, similar depictions have survived from throughout the region. In contrast to common depiction, most crucifixions did not involve the nailing of the victims hands or feet to the cross. The victim would be laid down on his belly with his hands tied behind his back and his rectum would be slit up by a razor, after which a paste would be applied to stop the bleeding before a stake would be thrusted into his body. One Assyrian king recorded sparing some of the people he invaded but only after they shamelessly humbled themselves before him. Louvre, Tello (ancient Girsu). From vagina impalement to 'death by elephant' - Gruesome - The Sun %PDF-1.4 % In the year 64 of the Common Era, the Great Fire of Rome devastated large parts of the imperial city. 0000002778 00000 n endstream endobj 452 0 obj<>/W[1 1 1]/Type/XRef/Index[57 377]>>stream Spreading far beyond the borders of Europe, the strappado was employed during the Salem Witch Trials in 1692. Lingchi, known colloquially in the West as death by a thousand cuts, was a ritualistic form of torture prevalent in Imperial China. Others went further. Using humans are the base substance akin to the wax foundations of a candle, these victims were tied to stakes in the imperial garden for the amusement of the deranged Emperor. Medium.com, Vestal Virgins: Chaste keepers of the flame, Melissa Dowling, Biblical Archaeological Society (2001), Rethinking Nero, BYROBERT DRAPER. empires.. Assyria was located in the northern part of Mesopotamia, which corresponds to most parts of modern-day Iraq as well as parts of Iran . Syrian Man Reveals Worst Torture Methods Used by the Regime In September 1611, Dionysios the Philosopher (or. [6] The Hongwu Emperor flayed many servants, officials and rebels. They'd cut off the tongues of their captives so their screaming wouldn't be as loud when they were skinned alive. Their torturers would continuously hurl verbal abuse at the prisoners, al-Drubi recounted. Wikimedia Commons. Annemasse. Appearing just twice in Norse literature, although popularized subsequently in European mythology, it remains a matter of historic debate whether the blood eagle was a literal procedure or rather a product of allegorical exaggeration not uncommon to the Sagas. 0000000689 00000 n In the medieval ages, torture was used to punish heretical behavior and sexual offenders. Maria Ejaz Khan "They hung us up from our wrists to the ceilings. n3kGz=[==B0FX'+tG,}/Hh8mW2p[AiAN#8$X?AKHI{!7. Their skin was attached to three doors as a warning against robbers of church and state. In 1323, the Mexica tribe asked for Yaocihuatl, daughter of Achicometl, ruler of Culhuacan in marriage. The victim would be forced to ingest milk and honey, eventually causing diarrhea. The Appalling Lords of Torture | Lessons from History - Medium Facing blame for both causing the blaze and providing inadequate response to the inferno, which caused widespread damage to 10 of Romes 14 districts, Emperor Nero blamed the fiery outbreak on religious minorities including early Christians. He would be left to float on a pond, with his accumulated feces and honey-covered body attracting insects which would eat and breed within his exposed flesh. nQt}MA0alSx k&^>0|>_',G! It is as gory and bloodcurdling a history as we know. Execution of Thomas Armstrong in 1684 (c. 1698). An illustration of execution by breaking wheel in Augsburg, Bavaria (c. 1586). This method of torture was executed in several ways, like; Tying the victim to a pole and peeling his facial skin first, or submerging the victim in boiling water before the flaying. A still from S2E4 of Game of Thrones, depicting the historical rat torture. The result was one of the strongest armies in the world. He was executed by pressing. Flaying, also known as skinning, was a torture method which originated from 883-859 BC and documented in both carvings and official royal edicts. The period from the ninth century to the end of the seventh century B.C. His writing also appears on a number of other sites, including The Onion's StarWipe and Cracked.com. (AFP/GETTY IMAGES). As the Assyrian Empire grew, they built a standing army. Ashurbanipal was the king of Assyria from 668 to 627 BC, and he was apparently quite gifted intellectually. They described hearing and seeing ghosts talking to them, who would be the ghosts of people theyd killed in battle, says Professor Jamie Hacker Hughes. startxref In some instances, mercy might be granted allowing for a swifter death, with the wheelset on fire or the condemned beheaded. Under the Habsburgs, the number of strikes inflicted was used as a measure of the severity of criminal conduct by the condemned. Survival time would vary from a few minutes to several days, depending on how the stake was inserted. The condemned sailors limbs would be tied and he would be repeatedly plunged beneath the ships keel on one side and hoisted up on the other. And, it was described as one of the most cruel and graphic torture methods ever used. Many countries surrendered. In the past, rulers also included these extra elements of punishment to turn executions into spectacles. During Mesopotamian times, wars were what divided ruling periods. Sign up to our newsletter for exclusive updates and enhanced content, Sign up to get Al Bawaba's exclusive celeb scoops and entertainment news, Syrian Man Reveals Worst Torture Methods Used by the Regime, Serie A: AC Milan vs Tottenham predicted lineups, Rihanna didn't get paid for her Super Bowl show, Awadallah jailed for sedition goes on hunger strike. The Assyrians, who ruled at the height of their power between Egypt and the Persian Gulf (745-630 BC), are known from historical records to have been cruel and unrelenting . December 23, 2019, 10:09 am, by HBO. depict warriors methodically removing the skin from prisoners' bodies, marking them as one of the first cultures to partake in the brutal torture. He was known for his harsh punishments upon his enemies, especially those who had betrayed his family and took advantage of the misfortunes of Wallachia. V)gB0iW8#8w8_QQj@&A)/g>'K t;\ $FZUn(4T%)0C&Zi8bxEB;PAom?W= Differing from immurement by both method and intent, those subjected to premature burial are interred with the purpose of execution, and, in contrast to the entombing of persons within walls, the victims die far quicker when buried. They were known for ruthless battle tactics and Torturers would then use knives to make cuts on their. Instead, they were more frequently attached by rope in order to prolong the torture. Mark Oliver is a regular contributor to Listverse. Here are 20 of the slowest and most painful historical torture methods you would not want to endure: A disputed historical method of inflicting immense pain upon a victim, bamboo torture is a form of punishment wherein bamboo shoots are employed to grow into, and subsequently through, the body of the subjected person. He used rat torture, along with other methods, to punish his political enemies and sexually assault his prisoners. These people were usually lucky enough to bring their families. Continuing in usage throughout Medieval Europe, most commonly as part of the execution of traitors, flaying became so popular in Imperial China that the Hongwu Emperor ordered the mass flaying of 5,000 women in 1396. Adriana John As a form of punishment, crucifixion exists still today, notably in Saudi Arabia and Iran, where the most recent known occurrences of crucifixion occurred as recently as the early 2000s. Although people think that torture is an effective method, because of Applebaum's successful use of logos, diction . This was the first country to make military service mandatory for every male citizen, no matter who he was. Keelhauling, taking its name from the Dutch Kielhalen meaning to drag along the keel, was a torturous punishment inflicted upon sailors whilst at sea. The Premature Burial, by Antoine Wiertz (c. 1854). Anyone from slaves to prisoners of war could be subject to fear inducing acts of punishment. Conversely, the U.S. has also been victims of the practice, with the late Senator John McCain famously subjected to the technique during the Vietnam War. The victim would either be rocked or dropped repeatedly onto the device, and the torture would usually be prolonged into several days. Also, their land was a geographical passage for various armies marching towards their enemies on the way. Attached to a spiked wall, the unfortunate woman would be attached to the mechanism and pulled along by her breasts until they were torn from her. updated March 31, 2020, 8:32 pm, by This was a whole engine on wheels. He has been a guest speaker on numerous national radio and television stations and is a five time published author. Flaying, also known as skinning, was a torture method which originated from 883-859 BC and documented in both carvings and official royal edicts. "The nobles and elders of the city came out to me to save their lives," he declared. Make peace with me and come out to me! the envoy called out. Regarding the latter, it has been claimed the Vestal Virgins of Rome faced immurement should they break their vows of chastity as a trial by ordeal to prove devotion. Upon reaching the location, he would be hung almost to the moment of death. Every young man was expected to train as a warrior and be ready to fight. The Assyrians were known for being very barbaric when it came to torturing slaves and prisoners of war. It was outlined as a naval punishment for sailors in the Rhodian Maritime Code. The Assyrian Tragedy They brought us to the military base in the village of Dayr al-Shimal in western Hama, where they beat us with plastic tubes," he told Anadolu Agency. Unlike immurement, where the victims suffer for days or possibly weeks, those buried alive most commonly die long before dehydration takes effect. The 10 Most Gruesome Ancient Torture Methods - Wonderslist As a result, the mechanism was specifically designed to mutilate and destroy the most visible feminine attribute in retribution for the alleged unwomanly crimes: the breasts. Once the victim was contained within, a fire would be lit beneath, heating the metal until either death or release.