The Brazen Bull
God I hate this thing. It was an execution device used for criminals in ancient Greece, and it was brutal as all hell.
On the outside, it was a bronze statue of a bull with a door on one side. Inside, it was hollow. It worked like this-
The criminal would be thrown into the hollow statue either naked or with minimal clothing, and the door shut and locked on them. Then, they would light a fire underneath the statue, effectively cooking the victim alive. The victim’s screams would also go through a series of tubes that led to the nostrils of the bull, and the sound that came out would sound like a bull’s scream. Allegedly, the smoke produced from the nostrils were also somewhat laced with incense.
Its first victim is also somewhat interesting, as it’s actually the guy who created it. Basically, the guy who made it (Perillos) went to leader (Phalaris) and explained how the screaming conversion worked. Phalaris wanted him to demonstrate it, so once Perillos had climbed in, the door was shut and he was locked in. Then, Phalaris wanted to see it to its full effect, so he actually set a fire underneath it, and listened to the screams.
After a while, he ordered his men to pull Perillos out before he died, and they did. Phalaris actually took Perillos, now covered in burns, and threw him off a cliff. Then he proceeded to use the Bull for executions of all sorts, until he himself was executed inside of a Brazen Bull after he was overthrown.
These two deaths are both brutal, and ironic.
God I hate this thing. It was an execution device used for criminals in ancient Greece, and it was brutal as all hell.
On the outside, it was a bronze statue of a bull with a door on one side. Inside, it was hollow. It worked like this-
The criminal would be thrown into the hollow statue either naked or with minimal clothing, and the door shut and locked on them. Then, they would light a fire underneath the statue, effectively cooking the victim alive. The victim’s screams would also go through a series of tubes that led to the nostrils of the bull, and the sound that came out would sound like a bull’s scream. Allegedly, the smoke produced from the nostrils were also somewhat laced with incense.
Its first victim is also somewhat interesting, as it’s actually the guy who created it. Basically, the guy who made it (Perillos) went to leader (Phalaris) and explained how the screaming conversion worked. Phalaris wanted him to demonstrate it, so once Perillos had climbed in, the door was shut and he was locked in. Then, Phalaris wanted to see it to its full effect, so he actually set a fire underneath it, and listened to the screams.
After a while, he ordered his men to pull Perillos out before he died, and they did. Phalaris actually took Perillos, now covered in burns, and threw him off a cliff. Then he proceeded to use the Bull for executions of all sorts, until he himself was executed inside of a Brazen Bull after he was overthrown.
These two deaths are both brutal, and ironic.
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