Top 10 Most Twisted Executions in History

Here is a list of the most heinous death penalties in history. Fortunately, most of them have been abolished now.

10. The Brazen Bull

In the 6th century BC, Perilaus, an Athenian (a bronze worker), invented the Brazen Bull and presented it to Phalaris, the tyrant of Agrigentum. It was a huge hollow bronze bull with a door on one side that could fit one person. Once someone entered the bull, a fire would be lit underneath, roasting the victim alive. Perilaus designed a series of pipes and vents in the bull's head that amplified the victim's screams, making the sound resemble the bellowing of a bull.

Interestingly, Perilaus became the first victim of the Brazen Bull. He told Phalaris: "The scream will be transmitted through the pipes to your ears, which will be the weakest, most pitiful, and most melodious roar." Phalaris was repulsed by this statement and tricked Perilaus into entering the belly of the bull. Writer Lucian wrote:

His words made me sick. I detested his ingenious cruelty and decided to punish the craftsman in kind. So I said to him: "Perilaus, if this is not just an empty bronze bull and if your work can really produce such an effect, then you go inside and pretend to roar; let's see if the bronze pipes can produce the music you say they can." He agreed; after he went inside, I closed the door and ordered a fire to be lit. "Enjoy," I shouted, "this is the proper reward for your great work; let the musician perform first." From *Phalaris I*, page 12.

When Perilaus was near death, he was dragged out of the Brazen Bull, and Phalaris ordered him to be thrown off a cliff. The Brazen Bull subsequently became one of the most commonly used methods of execution in ancient Greece. ...