One particularly chilling technique is believed to have originated with the ancient Greeks. In this method, a victim was forced inside a hollow brass bull, and a fire was lit beneath it, slowly roasting them alive. Just imagining it is enough to send shivers down your spine.
Another brutal execution took place centuries ago
Inflicted upon Hungarian rebel leader György Dózsa. After leading an uprising, Dózsa was reportedly made to sit naked on a scorching hot iron throne—no, not the Game of Thrones kind—while wearing a heated iron crown.
As if that wasn’t horrific enough, according to the YouTube channel Dark History, he was also forced to hold a burning scepter as a cruel mockery of his aspirations to become king. The agony must have been unimaginable.
And then there’s “tickle torture”
The name might sound harmless at first, but don’t be fooled—it was anything but amusing.
A viral video simulation explains how this method worked, and it’s definitely not for the squeamish. The victim’s feet were first soaked in salt water. Sounds manageable, right? But then, a goat was brought in to lick their feet.
At first, this might seem like an odd, almost comical punishment. But the goat’s rough tongue would slowly wear down the skin, scraping it raw. Over time, the exposed flesh would become infected, turning a seemingly harmless act into prolonged suffering.
YouTube / @the_deep_dive
Viewers were quick to react to the brutal simulation
One person commented, “Humans are endlessly inventive when it comes to hurting and killing one another.”
Another admitted, “At first, I thought, ‘Oh, the goat will tickle the feet. Yeah, that’s torturous but also kinda funny and harmless.’ Oh, how naive I was.”
A third shared a similar reaction: “Not me thinking the goat would make them die of laughter instead of agony.”
Given the choice, I think we can all agree—we’d rather go out laughing than enduring unimaginable pain.
