An eerie selection of the most cruel methods of execution, which were considered ordinary and absolutely normal only 100 years ago. From some of these cruel variants of the death penalty is already as uncomfortable and on the body even now there are shivers
Burial alive
Burial alive begins our list of common executions. Referring to the times before BC, this punishment was used for individuals and groups. The victim is usually bound and then placed in a pit and slowly buried in the ground. One of the most massive uses of this form of execution was the Nanking Massacre during World War II, when Japanese soldiers massively executed Chinese civilians alive, which was referred to as the "Ditch Ten thousand Corpses"
Pit with snakes
One of the oldest forms of torture and execution, snake pits were a very standard form of capital punishment. The criminals were thrown into a deep pit with poisonous snakes, dying after the angry and hungry snakes attacked them. Several well-known leaders were executed this way, including Ragnar Lodbrock, warlord of the Vikings and Gunnar, King of Burgundy
Spanish tickling
This torture device was commonly used in Europe during the Middle Ages. Used to tear the victim's skin, this weapon could easily rip through anything, including muscles and bones. The victim contacted, sometimes publicly, and then the torturers began to maim her. Usually they started from the extremities, the neck and trunk were always preserved for completion
Slow cutting
Ling Shi, which translates as "slow cutting" or "incessant death", is described as death due to a thousand incisions. Implemented from 900 to 1905, this form of torture was stretched for a long period of time. The tormentor slowly cuts the victim, prolonging his life and torture for as long as possible. According to the Confucian principle, a body that is cut into pieces can not be whole in the spiritual afterlife. Therefore, it was implied that after such execution the victim would suffer in the afterlife
Burning at the stake
Death through burning was used as a form of capital punishment for centuries, often associated with crimes such as treason and witchcraft. Today, this is considered a cruel and unusual punishment, but even in the 18th century, burning at the stake was a normal practice. The victim contacted, often in the center of the city with spectators, then burned at the stake. This is considered one of the slowest ways to die
African necklace
Usually carried out in South Africa, the execution called the Necklace, unfortunately, is still quite common today. The rubber tire, filled with gasoline, is put around the chest and the victim's hands and then ignited. Essentially, the body of the victim turns into a molten mass, which explains why this is in the top ten of our list
Execution by an elephant
In the South and South-East Asia, the Elephant was the capital punishment method for thousands of years. The animals were trained to perform two actions. Slowly, in a long way torturing the victim, or by crushing a blow, destroying it almost immediately. Commonly used by kings and nobles, these elephant killers only reinforced the fear of ordinary people who thought the king had an uncanny power of controlling wild animals. This method of execution was eventually adopted by the Roman armed forces. Thus punished soldiers of deserters
Execute "Five Punishments"
This form of Chinese capital punishment is a relatively simple action. It starts with the cut off of the victim's nose, then one hand and one foot are cut off, and finally, the victim is castrated. The inventor of this punishment, Li Sai, the Chinese Prime Minister, was eventually tortured and then executed in the same way
Colombian tie
This method of execution is one of the bloodiest. The throat of the victim was cut, and then the tongue was pulled out through an open wound. During La Violencia this is a Colombian period of history, fraught with torture and war, it was the most common form of execution
Hanging, stretching and quartering
The execution for treason in England, with hanging, stretching and quartering, was a common occurrence during the medieval times. Despite the fact that torture was abolished in 1814, this form of execution caused the death of hundreds, perhaps even thousands, of people
Boots made of cement
Presented by the American Mafia, this method of execution involves placing the victim's feet in the slag blocks and then filling them with cement, then throwing the victim into the water. This form of execution is rare, but still carried out today
Guillotine
The guillotine is one of the most famous forms of execution. The blade of the guillotine was sharpened so perfectly that it deprived the victim of the head almost instantly. The guillotine is a humane method of execution, until you learn that people can potentially still be alive for a few moments after the action. People from the crowd told that the executed, who were beheaded, could blink their eyes or even pronounce words after their heads had been chopped off. Experts theorized that the swiftness of the blade did not cause loss of consciousness
Republican wedding
Republican Wedding may not be the most terrible death on this list, but of course, one of the most interesting. Occurring in France, this form of execution was widespread among the Revolutionaries. It implied the tying of two people, usually the same age and drowning. In some cases, where water was not available, the couple executed a sword
The Crucifixion
This ancient method of execution is one of the most famous, evidently because of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. The victim was hung up by the arms on the cross, forcing to hang there until death comes, which usually took days until the victim died of thirst
The Copper Bull
The Copper Bull, sometimes known as the Sicilian Bull, is one of the most cruel methods of torture. The method developed in ancient Greece meant the creation of a hollow bull of copper, with a door on the side, which was opened and fixed. To begin the execution, the victim was placed in a copper bull, and the fire was placed below. The fire was maintained until the metal was literally yellow, causing the victim to "roast to death." The bull was designed so that the cries of the victim came out to please the executioner and the numerous inhabitants who came to watch. Sometimes all the inhabitants of the city came to see the execution. It is quite predictable that the inventor of this execution ended up being burned in a bull
