Torture has been a tool used by humanity for thousands of years.
We use it to gain information, for a psychological advantage over our enemies, as a form of punishment and simply because some of the human race is just sadistic and enjoy inflicting pain upon others.
The systematic use of torture in criminal procedures dates back to the earliest civilisations. Scenes depicting torture and corporal punishment can be found on ancient Mesopotamian and Egyptian monuments.
This is a list of (in my opinion) the worst ones.
The Judas cradle or Judas chair.
The Judas cradle was an Italian invented device supposedly used mostly during the Spanish inquisition.
The device was a stool with a metal or wooden pyramid attached to the top. The victim of the device was then bound with ropes and lowered onto the spike of the pyramid so as it would enter either the vagina, anus or scrotum.
This device was not only horrifically painful but humiliating as well. The victim would be lowered slowly onto the pyramid so as to extend the duration of the torture, or even have brass weights attached to their ankles to pull them down onto it slowly. If this wasn't bad enough the Judas chair was never cleaned so even if whichever unfortunate soul that got sentenced to its use didn't die from the torture itself they almost always died from infection soon afterwards.
To inflict maximum pain the subject could be rocked back and forth, lifted and dropped onto it before repeating the process or a variety of other methods. Torture by the Judas chair could be as long as several hours to several days depending on the severity of the crime and the sadistic nature of whoever was imposing the punishment.
The brazen bull or bronze bull
This is possibly one of my least favorites personally, it just seems. horrific.
The bronze bull was, as the name suggests, a large hollow bronze bull. Perillos of Athens invented and proposed it to Phalaris, the tyrant of Akragas, Sicily, as a new means of executing criminals.
Torture or execution by the bronze bull would consist of the offender being throw inside the metal sculpture and then having a fire lit underneath it until the metal heated so much that the person inside was roasted alive.
It is said that after creating this invention Perillos the bronze-worker was the first to be executed in this manner, having presented it to Phalaris he was then shoved inside and roasted alive.
The bronze bull contained a number of pipes and chambers inside that would turn the victims screams into sounds similar to a raging bull, or so is said. The nostrils were open so steam could escape and give off the perfect picture of an angry bull.
When i think about this all i think of is those couple of seconds when you touch the fry-pan with your finger or grab something from the oven, the incredible pain you feel for a second on one tiny part of your body, now imagine that being continuous and on every part of your body. Horrific.
The tub or Scaphism
This one is slightly less painful, exceedingly more disgusting.
"The tub" was an ancient Persian method of execution designed to inflict torturous death. The victim was placed inside a barrel or two hollowed out boats and then smeared with honey and milk, they were also force fed a continuous diet.
The victim and their device would then be floated on a stagnant pond or left in the sun to attract insects. The victims own bodily waste would accumulate inside the device and maggots, larvae and any other number of insects would breed and feed inside the victims flesh, slowly eating them alive.
They were continuously fed and given water so as to prevent death from dehydration and prolong the torture for as much time as possible. A majority of the victims died from septic shock or eventually would just stop being fed and starve or die of dehydration.
Possibly one of the most disgusting things that could ever happen to you, while looking at this i almost would rather the bronze bull... almost.
The breaking wheel
The breaking wheel was a device used in medieval times all the way up until the 19th century in Germany. The device itself usually wasn't the horrific part though.
The breaking wheel or "catherine" was a large wooden wheel which onto which the criminal would be tied spreadeagled. The wheel would rotate slowly around as an executioner took swings at the victim with a large iron hammer, not dissimilar to a sledgehammer.
The gaps in the wheel allowed the limbs to break in between. This was most often used as a form of punishment as well as entertainment for locals whom would gather in large crowds to watch the proceedings.
Victims of this form of punishment often lived long after the actual torture was completed, with some reports of people living up to four days and one account of a man being kept alive on the breaking wheel for 9 days.
Whilst strapped in and in incredible pain from having every limb and most of the torso decimated with the hammer they would then be left on the wheel until death took them.
Saw torture
Saw torture is, again as the name suggests, torture using a large saw usually used for cutting down trees.
During saw torture the victim is strung upside down, legs spread so as the blood rushes to their head. Two executioners would then come on either side with a large saw between them and starting at the genitals slowly saw their way through the body. The way the victim was tied prevented them from dying too quickly from blood loss and extended the pain.
In some cases the executioners would stop after a certain point so as not to let the victim die too slowly, they would then come back and continue with the execution.
Blood eagle
Possibly the most gruesome on this list is the Blood eagle, made famous in shows like Vikings.
There is some debate as to whether the blood eagle was a legitimate form of punishment as there are few accounts of its use, however if real it is a disturbing practice at the least.
The victim would be placed prone, then have their back sliced open and their ribs severed from their spinal cord.
The lungs would then be pulled through the gap and extended outside of the body, they would then be exposed to "saline stimulant" which was essentially just having salt rubbed into the giant open wound and onto the lungs. This would cause the lungs to "flutter" giving the impression of a birds wings flapping.
These methods are just some of the many ways humans have tortured each other throughout history. All of these are now out of practice but there are still many other methods active today, even in "civilised" countries like the USA.
Many organisations seek to end torture in the world however when even governments sanction the use of it, chances are slim of it ever disappearing from society.
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Resources
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brazen_bull
https://io9.gizmodo.com/the-10-most-gruesome-torture-techniques-from-medieval-e-1626942115?IR=T
https://www.elitereaders.com/history-list-of-torture-techniques/
https://www.buzzfeed.com/gabrielsanchez/torture-methods-from-history?utm_term=.ekXZlxMRq#.ap2P5xmQA
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judas_cradle
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scaphism
http://modernnotion.com/a-horrible-way-to-die-the-viking-blood-eagle-execution/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_by_sawing