Lecture on Historical Punishments

Introduction

• Discussion of historical punishments that were cruel and inhumane.
• Countdown format from the least to the most terrifying.

Number 10: The Rat Dungeon

• Location: London Tower during the medieval period.
• Method: Prisoners shackled in darkness, subjected to rats from the river when water levels rose.
• Effect: Prisoners suffered from rat bites, leading to execution over time.

Number 9: The Rack

• Location: Also in the London Tower.
• Device: Torture device used to extract confessions.
• Operation: Prisoner’s limbs tied and stretched, causing dislocation or paralysis.
• Historical Case: 25-year-old girl tortured for memorizing and preaching Bible scriptures.

Number 8: Keelhauling

• Setting: Maritime punishment for sailors.
• Method: Sailors dragged under the ship, suffering from drowning, injuries from the keel, and barnacle cuts.
• Outcome: Death or severe scarring if survived.

Number 7: Crushed by Elephants

• Usage: Employed by various countries, notably India in the 19th century.
• Crimes: Tax evasion, theft, enemy soldiers, etc.
• Execution Method: Elephants controlled to crush criminals quickly or slowly, for entertainment.

Number 6: Impalement

• Most Recent Use: 17th century Egypt.
• Method: Insertion of a wooden stake through the body.
• Variations: Quick death or prolonged suffering.

Number 5: Poena Cullei

• Meaning: Latin for "penalty of the sack."
• Crime: Family murder.
• Method: Victim sewn in a sack with animals and thrown into water or alternative execution in a coliseum.

Number 4: Rat Torture

• Methods:
  • Method 1: Rat in a heated bowl placed on the prisoner’s body.
  • Method 2: "Rectoscope," involving a tube for rats to enter the body.
• Historical Usage: Known usage during the 80 Years War and under dictator Augusto Pinochet.

Number 3: Gibbetting

• Last Known Use: Early 1900s, Afghanistan.
• Method: Criminals displayed in cages, often left to die and decompose.
• Purpose: Public warning.

Number 2: Scaphism

• Usage: Ancient Persian Empire.
• Method: Victims force-fed and coated with milk and honey, attracting insects and rodents.
• Outcome: Slow, painful death.

Number 1: Oubliette

• Meaning: French for "to forget."
• Location: London Tower and Warwick Castle.
• Method: Prisoners left in dark, cramped cells to die from neglect.
• Discovery: Recent findings of dungeons with skeletons in castles.

Conclusion

• Highlighted the extreme cruelty of historical punishments often used for control and intimidation.
• Cultural reflection on the history of justice and punishment methods.