This is a list of the most revolting methods of execution from history. Thankfully most of them are no longer used.
10. Brazen Bull
The Brazen Bull was invented by Perilaus of Athens (a Brass worker) in the 6th Century BC and offered to Phalaris, Tyrant of Agrigentum, as a gift. It was a large brass bull that was completely hollow inside with a door on the side large enough for a man to enter. Once the man was inside the bull, a fire would be lit beneath it in order to roast him to death. In the head of the bull, Perilaus put a series of tubes and stops that were designed to amplify the screams of the victim and make them sound like the roar of a bull.
Interestingly, Perilaus was the first person to feel the pain of the Brazen Bull. After Perilaus said to Phalaris: “[his screams] will come to you through the pipes as the tenderest, most pathetic, most melodious of bellowings”, Phalaris was so disgusted that he tricked Perilaus in to entering the bull. Lucian recounts the tale:
‘His words revolted me. I loathed the thought of such ingenious cruelty, and resolved to punish the artificer in kind. “If this is anything more than an empty boast, Perilaus,” I said to him, “if your art can really produce this effect, get inside yourself, and pretend to roar; and we will see whether the pipes will make such music as you describe.” He consented; and when he was inside I closed the aperture, and ordered a fire to be kindled. “Receive,” I cried, “the due reward of your wondrous art: let the music-master be the first to play.” Phalaris I:12
Perilaus was removed from the Bull before he died and Phalaris had him thrown off a cliff. The Brazen Bull became one of the most common methods of execution in Ancient Greece.
9. Hanging Drawing and Quartering
Hanging drawing and quartering was the common form of punishment in England for the crime of treason which was considered the worst crime you could commit. The punishment was only applied to men - women found guilty of treason were burnt at the stake. Unbelievably, this punishment remained in law until 1814.
The first stage of the execution was to be tied to a wooden frame and dragged behind a horse to the place of your death. Following that, the criminal would be hanged until they were nearly dead. The criminal would then be removed from the noose and laid on a table. The executioner would then disembowel and emasculate the victim, and burn the entrails in front of his eyes. He would still be alive at this point. The person would then be beheaded and their body cut in to quarters. Samuel Pepys, in his famous diary, was an eyewitness at one of these executions:
To my Lord’s in the morning, where I met with Captain Cuttance, but my Lord not being up I went out to Charing Cross, to see Major-general Harrison hanged, drawn, and quartered; which was done there, he looking as cheerful as any man could do in that condition. He was presently cut down, and his head and heart shown to the people, at which there was great shouts of joy. It is said, that he said that he was sure to come shortly at the right hand of Christ to judge them that now had judged him; and that his wife do expect his coming again. Thus it was my chance to see the King beheaded at White Hall, and to see the first blood shed in revenge for the blood of the King at Charing Cross.
The normal practice was to send the five parts of the body to various areas where they would be put on display on a gibbet as a warning to others.
8. Burning
Burning at the Stake was normally done in one of two ways. In the first, the victim would be lead to the center of a wall of sticks and straw and tied to the stake, after which the space between the criminal and the wall would be filled with wood - concealing the person. It is believed that this is the manner in which St Joan of Arc was burnt. The other method was to pile sticks and straw up to the level of the calves only.
When performed by a skilled executioner, the person would burn in this sequence: calves, thighs and hands, torso and forearms, breasts, upper chest, face; and then finally death. Needless to say this would have been excruciating. If a large number of people were to be burnt at the same time, death could occur through carbon monoxide poisoning before the fire reached you. If the fire was small, you could die of shock, blood loss, or heatstroke.
In later versions of burning at the stake, the criminal would be hanged until dead and then burnt symbolically. This method of execution was used to burn witches in most parts of Europe, but it was not used in England for that purpose.
7. Ling Chi
Ling Chi - execution by slow cutting - was practiced in China until it was outlawed in 1905. In the execution, the criminal is slowly cut in the arms, legs, and chest, until finally they are beheaded or stabbed in the heart. Many western accounts of the execution method are largely exaggerated, with some claiming that the execution could take days to perform.
One modern eyewitness report from Journalist and Politician Henry Norman, describes an execution thus:
The criminal is fastened to a rough cross, and the executioner, armed with a sharp knife, begins by grasping handfuls from the fleshy parts of the body, such as the thighs and the breasts, and slicing them off. After this he removes the joints and the excrescences of the body one by one-the nose and ears, fingers and toes. Then the limbs are cut off piecemeal at the wrists and the ankles, the elbows and knees, the shoulders and hips. Finally, the victim is stabbed to the heart and his head cut off.
You can see a particularly revolting image of a criminal who has been executed by this method here and another here.
6. Breaking Wheel
The breaking wheel was also known as the Catherine Wheel and it was a mediaeval execution device. The criminal would be attached to a cart wheel and his arms and legs stretched out along the spokes. The wheel would be made to turn while a heavy metal bar or hammer would deliver bone breaking blows to various parts of the body between the spokes. If a merciful execution had been ordered, after a large number of bones were shattered, fatal blows would be delivered. In cases where mercy was not offered, the criminal would remain on the wheel until they died - this could sometimes take days and the person would die of shock and dehydration.
After the shattering was complete, the limbs of the person would be woven between the spokes and the wheel would be hoisted to the top of a pole for birds to eat the, sometimes still living, body.
In France, a special grace was sometimes offered in which the criminal would be strangled to death before the blows were delivered, or after only two or three.
5. Boiling
In execution by boiling, the condemned is stripped naked and either placed in a vat of boiling liquid, or in a vat of cold liquid which was then heated to boiling. The liquid could be oil, acid, tar, water, or molten lead. During the reign of King Henry VIII it was a punishment especially reserved for poisoners.
“The preamble of the statute of Henry VIII (which made poisoning treason) in 1531 recites that one Richard Roose (or Coke), a cook, by putting poison in some food intended for the household of the bishop of Rochester and for the poor of the parish of Lambeth, killed a man and woman. He was found guilty of treason and sentenced to be boiled to death without benefit of clergy. He was publicly boiled at Smithfield. In the same year a maid-servant for poisoning her mistress was boiled at King’s Lynn.” [Encyclopedia Britannica, 1911]
The “Chronicle of the Grey Friars of London” (published by the Camden Society) has an account of a case at Smithfield, in which a man was fastened to a chain and let down into boiling water several times until he was dead. In modern days, Idi Amin has been accused of using this method of execution on his enemies.
4. Flaying
Execution by Flaying is when the skin of the criminal is removed from their body with the use of a very sharp knife. Attempts are made to keep the skin intact. This is a very ancient method of execution. The apostle Bartholomew was flayed and crucified upside down. His skin and bones are kept in a Cathedral in Sicily.
There are accounts of Assyrians flaying the skin from a captured enemy or rebellious ruler and nailing it to the wall of his city, as warning to all who would defy their power. The Aztecs of Mexico flayed victims of ritual human sacrifice, generally after death.
While this method of execution is not lawful in any country, in 2000, government troops in Myanma allegedly flayed all of the males of a Karenni village.
3. Necklacing
Necklacing is a type of execution in which a rubber tyre is filled with gasoline, forced over the arms and chest of the victim, and set alight. It was a common practice in South Africa during the 1980s and 1990s anti-apartheid struggle.
Necklacing sentences were sometimes handed down against alleged criminals by “people’s courts” established in black townships as a means of circumventing the apartheid judicial system. Necklacing was also used to punish members of the black community who were perceived as collaborators with the apartheid regime. These included black policemen, town councilors and others, as well as their relatives and associates. The practice was frequently carried out in the name of the African National Congress (ANC), and was even endorsed by Winnie Mandela, then-wife of the imprisoned Nelson Mandela and a senior member of the ANC, although the ANC officially condemned the practice. [Wikipedia]
Necklacing has also occured in Brazil, and Haiti, and at least one person was killed by this method in Nigeria during muslim protests over the Muhammad Cartoons.
2. Scaphism
Scaphism is an Ancient Persian method of execution. According to Wikipedia, a naked person would be firmly fastened within a back-to-back pair of narrow rowboats (or in some variations a hollowed out tree trunk), the head, hands, and feet protruding from this improvised container. The condemned was forced to ingest milk and honey to the point of developing severe diarrhea, and more honey would be rubbed on his body so as to attract insects to the exposed appendages. They would then be left to float on a stagnant pond (or alternately, simply exposed to the sun somewhere). The defenseless individual’s feces accumulated within the container, attracting more insects, which would eat and breed within his or her exposed (and increasingly gangrenous) flesh. Death, when it eventually occurred, was probably due to a combination of dehydration, starvation and septic shock.
Plutarch writes that it took Mithridates 17 days to die by this method of execution. Native American Indians also used a similar method of execution where they would tie the victim to a tree, smear him and leave him to the ants. Because he was not previously force-fed, he would generally starve in a few days.
1. Sawing
In Execution by sawing, the criminal would be hung upside-down and a large saw would be used to cut their body in half, starting with the groin, all the way to the head. Because the person was hanging upside-down, the brain received sufficient blood to keep them alive until the saw finally reached the main blood vessels in the abdomen. In the Asian version of this execution, the victim would stand upright and the sawing would begin at the top of the head.
Some traditions state that the Prophet Isaiah was executed by the saw. It is believed that Saint Paul is making reference to this in his Epistle to the Hebrews 11:37:
They were stoned, they were cut asunder, they were tempted, they were put to death by the sword, they wandered about in sheepskins, in goatskins, being in want, distressed, afflicted.
This method of execution was used in the Middle East, Europe, and parts of Asia. It was also used by the Roman Empire and was considered to be the favorite punishment dished out by Emperor Caligula.
译文:
史上10大变态死刑
这里列出了历史上最可憎的死刑。幸好现在绝大不分都废弃了。
10. 铜牛
公元前6世纪，雅典人Perilaus （一个铜匠）发明了铜牛，并且献给了Agrigentum的暴君Phalaris。这是一只巨大的中空铜牛，边上有一扇门，足以一人进入。一旦人进到铜牛中，下面会生火将他活活烤死。Perilaus在牛头设计了一系列管子和音孔，用来放大受害者的尖叫，使声音听起来像公牛的嘶吼。
有趣的是，Perilaus是铜牛的第一个牺牲品。Perilaus对Phalaris说：“（他的尖叫）会通过管子传到您耳边，这将是最脆弱、最悲惨、最悦耳的吼叫。”Phalaris听后很反感，就骗Perilaus钻入牛腹。作家Lucian写道：
他的话让我恶心。我讨厌这种残酷的天才想法，我决定以牙还牙惩罚工匠。于是我对他说：“Perilaus，如果这不仅仅是个空空的铜牛，如果你的作品真的能有这种效果，那你自己进去，假装吼一下；我们要看看那些铜管能不能发出如你所说的音乐。”他同意了；他进去后我关上了门，下令生火。“聆赏吧，”我叫道，“这是给你的伟大作品的应有奖赏；让音乐家第一个表演吧。”选自《Phalaris I》12页
Perilaus奄奄一息时，被从铜牛里搬出来，Phalaris下令将他扔下悬崖。铜牛从此成为古希腊最常用的死刑工具之一。
绞刑、挖肠、分尸是英格兰对判国犯人的常用刑法，判国在当时是最重的罪名。这种刑法只针对男子，犯有判国罪的女人则在柱子上被烧死。这种死刑直到1814年才从法律中废除。
首先罪犯被绑在一个木框上，由一匹马后面拖着他到行刑地。然后，罪犯上绞架，勒到快断气为止。此时，罪犯被从套索上搬下来，放在一张桌子上。刽子手挖出罪犯肠子，被阉割他，然后当着他的面烧掉肠子。这是他应该还活着。这个人将面临斩首和分尸。 Samuel Pepys在他的日记写下了一次亲历行刑过程：
上帝保佑，我今早遇见Cuttance船长，但是我去Charing Cross时上帝没现身，我去看Harrison少将接收绞刑挖肠分尸刑；任何人在那种情况下，都会表现得像他一样痛苦。他现在被砍头了，他的脑都和心脏在人们面前展示，人民发出巨大的欢呼声。据说，他放言他将作为耶稣的使者来审判那些审判了他的人；他的妻子正期盼他的转生。如果真是这样，我就有机会在White Hall有个国王掉了脑袋，看到以血偿血的复仇。
通常把5块尸体分送到不同的地方，挂在当地的绞刑架上，已作警示。
8. 火刑
火刑通常有两种做法。第一种是把犯人带到一堆树枝和稻草围成的墙的中间绑在树桩上，然后犯人和墙中间填上木头，直到看不见人。据说圣女贞德就是这么被烧死的。另一种方法是把树枝和稻草堆到小腿处。
如果由熟练的刽子手动手，一个人会按照下面的顺序并烧死：小腿，大腿和手，躯干和前臂，胸，上胸，脸；最后死去。不用说，这是极其痛苦的。如果很多人同时执行火性，可能火还没烧到你，你就因一氧化碳中毒停止呼吸了。如果火不旺，你可能因为休克、失血或中暑而死亡。
在第二种火刑中，犯人可能被绞死后，象征性地烧以下。欧洲的大多数地方这种刑法是用来对付女巫的，但在英格兰不是。
7. 凌迟
凌迟——缓慢的割肉刑法——直到1905年才从中国的法律中废除。行刑中，犯人慢慢地被割去手臂、腿和胸部的肉，最好被砍头或者刺穿心脏。很多西方对这种刑法的记载中声称凌迟要用上几天，这完全夸大了事实。
Henry Norman在《记者和政客》上的报道描述了一次行刑：
犯人被绑在粗糙的十字架上，刽子手手持尖刀，开始从身上有肉的地方剐肉，比如大腿和胸部，一片片的且下来。然后他一样一样地挖下关节和其他部位——鼻子、耳朵、手指、脚趾。然后将将依手腕、脚踝、手肘、膝盖、肩部和臀部的顺序一步步卸下四肢。最后，刺向犯人心脏，并砍掉他的头。
6. 毁灭车轮
毁灭车轮又称
Catherine Wheel，是中世纪的一种刑法。犯人被绑在车轮上，手脚顺着轮辐伸直。当刽子手用一个金属棒或者榔头重重砸下轮辐间的四肢，轮子会转起来。如果法外施恩，骨头都粉碎后，犯人会受到致命的几击。否则，犯人就被仍在轮子上，直到他们死去——这可能要过数天，那人才会死于休克和脱水。
打碎骨头后，犯人的四肢被穿在横幅中间，而轮子则被撑在一个棒子上，好让鸟类来蚕食可能还活着的躯体。
在法国，有时手下留情，先掐死犯人再砸碎骨头，或者只砸两三下就掐死他。
5. 烹刑
行刑中，犯人被剥光，放在一锅沸腾的液体中，或者先放在冷的液体里，然后加热至沸腾。液体可能是油、酸、柏油、水或熔铅。在亨利三世统治时期，这是专为下毒的犯人准备的。
“亨利三世制定1531年法律的序言中（将投毒视为叛国），引用了厨师Richard Roose 的案子，他在给Rochester主教家庭和Lambeth的穷人的食物中下毒，导致一男一女身亡。他被判叛国罪，收烹刑，不能豁免。他在Smithfield当众受刑。同年，一个女仆人因毒害了其女主人在King’s Lynn收烹刑。”（选自《不列颠百科全书》，1911年）
在《伦敦灰衣修士编年史》（Camden Society出版）中记录了Smithfield的一次行刑，一个男人被绑铁链绑住，扔进沸水中数次，直到毙命。在当代，Idi Amin（阿敏将军，70年代乌干达的独裁者） 曾被指控用这种方法惩罚他的敌人。
4. 剥皮
这种死刑是用锋利的到将犯人的皮肤从身体上割下，而且要保持皮肤的完整。这是一种非常古老的死刑。使徒Bartholomew就曾被剥皮，倒钉在十字架上。他的皮肤和骨骼现在保存在西西里的大教堂中。
现存了不少关于亚述人的死刑记载，他们从俘虏的敌人或叛变的首领身上剥下皮，并钉在城墙上，以告诫那些胆敢藐视他们权威的人。墨西哥的阿兹台克人在用人祭祀的宗教仪式上剥皮，但通常是在贡品死了以后。
这种死刑在任何国家都是非法的，2000年，Myanma（在缅甸） 的政府军声称对 Karenni村的所有男性执行了剥皮。
3. 项圈
这种死刑是用装满了汽油的橡胶轮胎箍住犯人的胸部和手臂，然后点燃。这在上世纪80年代的南非和90年代的反种族隔离斗争中很常见。
这种死刑常常针对黑人城镇中所谓“人民法庭”宣判的罪犯，这样可以避开种族隔离的司法体系。也用在黑人团体中和种族隔离政权勾结的成员身上。这些成员包括黑人政客，镇议员和其他人，还有他们的亲人和同事。该刑法通常以非洲国民大会（ANC）的名义进行，由Winnie Mandela签署批准（她是当时入狱的
Nelson Mandela 的妻子，也是ANC中的高官），尽管ANC表面上谴责这种行径。
巴西和海地也有这种死刑。在尼日利亚，至少有一人在穆斯林抗议歪曲穆罕默德漫画的示威中死于项圈之下。
2. 船刑
这是一种古老的波斯死刑。 易维基上介绍，犯人赤身裸体地被绑在两条小舟中间（有的是用挖空的树干），头、手、脚从里面伸出来。犯人被迫吃下牛奶和蜂蜜直到开始腹泻，身上被涂上厚厚的蜂蜜，为了吸引昆虫来叮他裸露在外的四肢。然后人们把他仍在混浊的河流上漂浮（或者干脆仍在太阳下）。毫无防备的犯人在船里的排泄物，招来了更多昆虫，在他露出的身体上觅食繁衍。死亡终会降临，犯人可能在脱水、饥饿和休克的综合作用下死去。
Plutarch(希腊历史家)写道，Mithridates在受此刑后的第17天才归天。美洲土著印第安人也用相似的死刑，他们把犯人绑在树上，在身上涂上污物，把他留给蚂蚁。因为犯人先前没有被强制喂食，通常会在几天后饿死。
1. 锯刑
锯刑是将犯人倒挂，然后把他的身体切成两半，从腹股沟开始一直锯到头。因为犯人是倒挂着，大脑里有足够的血液让一息尚存，直到锯到腹部的大血管，他们才会毙命。在亚洲版的锯刑中，犯人是站直的，行刑从头部开始。
有些传说中先知以赛亚就是这么死的。据说圣徒保罗在希伯莱书11:37中的使徒书中提到了这件事：
人们向他们扔石头，把他们切开，诱惑他们，用剑刺死他们，他们在羊皮纸中徘徊，深陷贫困、悲伤和痛苦。
欧洲的中东部和亚洲的一些地方也用这种刑法。它也是罗马帝国的一种死刑，而且是Caligula皇帝的最爱之选。