15 Most Gruesome Ancient Torture Methods

Here are my personal 15 "favorite" (I use this word non-offensively) ancient methods of torture. I advise the weak of heart or easily nauseated not to scroll on! (images and torture descriptions included)

15 Thumbscrew

These were designed to slowly crush not only the fingers and toes, but larger devices were also used to crush knees and elbows. There is also the Head Crusher, which could do the same for heads. It’s primary intention was to extract confessions from victims and it was first used in medieval times. This might sound bad but, NEXT! I've seen more horrendous...

14 Rope Torture

A rope is the easiest to use of all the torture devices since it is easy to find and can easily be fashioned to inflict a number of terrible retributions. For example, it could be used to tie the victim to a tree leaving the victim exposed with no way of defending himself from animals or other humans and it could be fashioned to restrain the victim’s limbs while attaching the other end to horses who would them be made to run, consequently severing the limbs.  The simplicity of the rope concept is why i think its very ingenious for torture.

13 Guillotine

One of the most notorious forms of executions, the guillotine was made of a razor sharp blade attached to a rope. The victim’s head was placed in the middle of the frame as the blade dropped, severing the victim’s head from the body. Since the decapitation was considered to be an instant and painless event (at least less painful than the other torture methods), it was often considered the most humane method of execution. I guess this is how I'd want to go if I had the choice back then.  Not bad in comparison, you know?

12 The Rack

Designed to dislocate every joint of the victim’s body, it was believed to be the most painful form of medieval torture; there has definitely been more painful methods in my opinion.  Once the victim was bound and placed on top of the rack, the torturer would proceed to turn the handle. Eventually, the victim would be stretched till his limbs where dislocated. In some cases, the torturers would continue to turn the wheel until the limbs where completely torn off the victim’s body.

11 Tongue Tearer

Looking like an oversized pair of scissors, it could effortlessly cut the victim’s tongue. Their mouth would be forced opened with a device called a mouth opener, and then the iron tongue tearer would uncomfortably twitch the tongue with its rough grippers. Once a firm hold was maintained, the screw would be firmly tightened and the victim’s tongue would roughly be torn out.  Wow, and I shed a tear when I merely bite my tongue.  Man I gotta toughen up!

10 Rat Torture

FIRST OFF,,,,,,, THE WORD "RAT" IS ENOUGH TO MAKE ME WINCE; buuuut apparently, this is not enough for medieval times. One of the most sadistic of all torture techniques involved having a cage with one open side strapped against the victim’s body. It would then be filled with large rodents and a heating element which would be placed on the other side of the cage. The rodents’ natural instinct led them to flee the intense heat. In order to escape they would burrow through the victim’s body with fatal results.(OHMYGOD HOWWWWW DISGUSTIINNGGGG) My class and I witnessed a mild screening of this in the film of the play "Macbeth"

9 The Chair of Torture

Also known as the Judas Chair, it was a terrible, intimidating torture device that was added to dungeons in the Middle Ages.  This chair was layered with 500 to 1,500 spikes on every surface with tight straps to restrain its victim. Made of iron, it can also contain spaces for heating elements beneath the seat.  Talk about pain in the butt! :')

8 Cement Shoes

The cement shoes were introduced by the American Mafia when they executed enemies, traitors and spies by placing their feet inside cinder blocks and then filling them up with wet cement. Once it dried, the victim would be thrown alive into a river or other deep body of water.  Triggers my fear of drowning anxiousness just writing this.

7 Breast Ripper

Though women were also subject to many of the torture techniques on this page, this is one that was specifically designed for them. Used to cause major blood loss, the claws, which were often red hot, would be placed on the exposed breasts as the spikes penetrated beneath the skin. It would then be pulled or jerked causing large chunks of flesh to come off with it.  Hold your boobs in a moment of silence for those lost to such an abomination...... Thank you

6 Crocodile Shears

Often used to mutilate those who would attempt to assassinate the king, this iron pincer was heated red-hot before being used to clamp down on the victim’s appendages and tearing them from their bodies.  Honestly, neat detail and design though.

5 Republican Marriage

This involved binding naked males and females together and then throwing them into icy waters to drown. When water was unavailable, they would just be run through with swords or bayonets. This was the preferred method used to execute nuns and priests during that time.  Again, watery graves are my least favorite and icy water is double 'hell-no'.

4 The Breaking Wheel

Also known as the Catherine Wheel, this is a torture device use to slowly kill the victim. First, the victim’s limbs were tied to the spokes of a large wooden wheel which would then be slowly revolved as the torturer simultaneously smashed the victim’s limbs with an iron hammer to break them in numerous places. As the bones were broken, the victim would be left on the wheel to die or could be place on top of a tall pole so the birds could feed on their flesh while still alive. This was slow indeed since it could have taken days before the victims would die from dehydration. Sometimes, a coups de grace (blow of mercy) was employed by ordering the executioner to deal a fatal blow on the victim’s chest and stomach to end their agony. But geez, what a way to go.

3 Spanish Donkey

One of the torture devices during the Spanish Inquisition, this is probably one of the most gruesome of them all. The victim is put astride, naked, on a donkey-like apparatus, which is actually a vertical wooden board with a sharp V-wedge on top of it. After that, the torturer would add varying weights to the victim’s feet until finally the wedge sliced through the victim’s body.  Do you see the pattern of 'slow' and 'body separation' starting to form in these?

2 Saw Torture

In this method, the victim is hung upside down, so that the blood will rush to their heads and keep them conscious during the long torture. The torturer would then saw through the victims’ bodies until they were completely sawed in half. Most were cut up only in their abdomen to prolong their agony.  Honestly had trouble deciding if this should be number one or not.  It's sooooo brutal.  Not only the pain but the sadistic factor just makes me sick!

1 Hanged, Drawn, and Quartered

In this torture technique, the victim is dragged in a wooden frame called a hurdle to the place of execution. They would then be hanged by the neck for a short period of time until they are near-death, followed by disembowelment (uhm??ew??) and castration where the entrails and genitalia are burned in front of the victim. The victim would then be divided into four separate parts and beheaded.  I chose this for number one mainly because its a classic when thinking about extreme forms of torture.

Well now you are slightly more educated and horrified!  Does it make you wonder how these torturers lived after murdering people in such cold-blooded fashions?  Made me think about the human mind especially, like how we develop and cope with traumatic events.  Guess they were born with the gift of no remorse or empathy.