The human race has never been short of ideas when it comes to torture devices, and the latest one I'm going to tell you about is nothing short of barbaric.
This historic torture method, known as 'the goat's tongue', had the power to leave someone in agonizing pain for months and in some cases, even leads to death.
It involved soaking the victim's feet in a salt solution, which would then attract a goat to lick the salt off. The goat's rough tongue could cause severe abrasion and pain as it removed layers of skin, potentially exposing bone if continued for an extended period of time.
It leverages the natural behavior of the goat and the biological reaction of human skin to salt, combining them into a torturous act. The excruciating pain from the continuous licking lead to significant physical damage to the soles of the feet, making it one of the most feared torture devices.
And if that wasn't bad enough, the risk of infection afterwards also added that extra layer of cruelty.
But who could even come up with something like this?
Who else but the Romans, of course!
Research has linked the torture method all the way back to ancient Rome as well as medieval Europe, where people would even make it a public event.
Hundreds of people across different villages would come out to watch victims suffer at the hands of the animal, making for some sort of twisted show.
Historical accounts often emphasize the simplicity yet brutal effectiveness of the goat's tongue, not just by the physical pain it inflicted but also by the psychological dread it brought to the victim, knowing the agony that would follow the initially innocent feeling of being tickled.
And if you thought this one was bad, wait until you here about the Brazen Bull.
According to Study.com, the Brazen Bull is a contraption of torture and execution used by the Ancient Greeks and Romans to punish their enemies.
This life-sized bull-shaped statue, which was typically made of brass or bronze, was designed to be hollow in the stomach area so that victims could be locked inside it and then roasted alive over an open flame.
Flute-like pipes would carry the victim's screams through the bull's nostrils, creating what was described as "animalistic music" while the stench of the scorched flesh billowed out in puffs of smoke - it's pretty crazy that someone even thought of this, to be honest.
The mastermind behind the device was Perilaus of Athens, an Ancient Greek inventor.
But let's just say, despite being the creator of the device, he was also a victim of it.
Perilaus passed the torture chamber onto Phalaris, the tyrant of the Sicilian state of Akragas, and let's just say he put it to good use.
A man as evil as Phalaris was known to always know how to keep up his reputation and when he was presented with this gift, he decided to ask Perilaus for a real-life demonstration.
After getting into the bull's belly, the inventor didn't think the tyrant would lock him inside and start the fire, but he did.
However, just before Perilaus could die, he unlocked the device and let him out.
Despite being let out of the contraption, the inventor was killed after being thrown off the top of a hill by Phalaris' goons... yikes.
And that is perhaps the irony of life - being hurt by something you love.
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