The Brazen Bull (Worst Punishment in the History of Mankind)
Welcome back to our gory television series, which highlights some of the worst acts of self-punishment committed by individuals against one another. While we've discussed more basic tools of torture and murder in previous episodes—such as cudgels that shatter bones and claws that shred flesh—this specific tool of gruesomely awful torture may be claimed to have been invented by inventive people. It would be unthinkable to have this treatment, as with almost everything we have discussed in this series, but we won't suggest it's any worse than having starving rats nibble on your guts. However, this punishment was just as slow as previous one, making head-chopping or hanging seem incredibly lenient in contrast. The Greeks invented this method of capital punishment. It went by a number of names; other names for it include the Sicilian bull and the bronze bull. However, how do we even know anything about it? The fact that it was covered in the "Bibliotheca historica," or "Historical Library," is one of the explanations. It is composed of numerous works authored by Diodorus Siculus, an ancient Greek historian. In these books you’ll find his version of the history of the world, from what went down in ancient Egypt to the leader Alexander the Great. Quite a lot of it is still intact, but some parts from the series are missing or in fragments. In one of those books Mr. Siculus wrote about the brazen bull and this is what he said. The guy who invented it was an inventor by trade and he was named Perillos of Athens. It’s said before he built this thing, somewhere between 570 and 554 BC, he actually pitched the idea. He was what you might call a creative technologist of the past looking for some funding. He got that funding from a man named Phalaris, the tyrant of Acragas. Given his frightening title you won’t be surprised to hear that this man was said to be very cruel.The tyrant of Acragas by the name of Phalaris provided him with that funding. You won't be shocked to learn that this man was reputed to be extremely vicious, especially considering his terrifying title.
