Random Historical Torture Methods Designed To Make The Pain Last As Long As Possible (14 items)

(#8) The Brazen Bull Involved Cooking People Inside A Fake Bull

The brazen bull is an ancient Greek torture device that combines depraved pain infliction with some real artistry and imagination. Attributed to Phalaris, the despot of Acragas, the brazen bull was - as its name states - a large, bronze bull with a hollowed-out center.

Victims of brazen bull torture would be forced inside the bull through a trapdoor on its underside, and a fire would be lit underneath the brass contraption, turning it into a large, human-cooking oven.
(#9) Boiling Alive Was One Of Henry VIII's Fave Slow Torture Methods

A favorite method of King Henry VIII, being boiled alive can be an extremely drawn out process. Although being boiled at a consistently hot temperature for several minutes straight can quickly do the trick, this wasn't always the method used by torturers. In fact, some boiling involved lowering the liquid to an unbearably hot - but not quite boiling - temperature, torturing the victim.

Also, the liquid used for boiling was totally up to the torturer - oil and water were two favorite options.
(#14) Crucifixion
- Cause Of Death
Probably one of the most infamous methods of prolonged execution in history (thanks to Jesus), crucifixion was widely used in antiquity.

During the process, the target was nailed or tied to a wooden pole. Often, their legs were smashed with clubs, breaking the bones so that they could not hold themselves up. They were then left, usually unclothed, to perish of starvation, loss of bodily fluids, or asphyxiation.
(#11) Immurement Ended Targets Through Claustrophobia And Starvation

Not to be confused with live burial, immurement involves a person being isolated and confined within narrow walls. The person's demise is caused by starvation, and they must watch as walls are slowly built around them. Immurement has been used across the world, but was used notably in Persia.

One account describes the potentially lengthy event: "The victim is put into the pillar, which is half built up in readiness; then if the executioner is merciful he will cement quickly up to the face, and death comes speedily. But sometimes a small amount of air is allowed to permeate through the bricks, and in this case the torture is cruel and the agony prolonged. Men bricked up in this way have been heard groaning and calling for water at the end of three days."
(#3) Lingchi Cutting Made A Victim Slowly Bleed Out

Lingchi is a traditional Chinese method of execution that also goes by the snappy nickname of "death by 1,000 cuts." In use for 1,000 years, a lingchi recipient would be tied to a pole and then gashed all over their body, and the cuts would just keep coming until they finally bled out. In some cases, the cuts would number over 3,000, and the person's demise would take three days.

Lingchi was used in China up until the 20th century, and it didn't always involve simply slashing a victim. It also took the form of live dismemberment.
(#7) Rat Torture Allowed Rats To Eat A Person's Internal Organs

This gruesome torture method is scary enough to be have been featured on an episode of Game of Thrones, a show known for the heights to which it's willing to take a violent scene. Basically, during rat torture, several rats are placed on the stomach of the torture victim. A barrel is then strapped over the rats, trapping them inside. From there, the barrel is set on fire, and in their desperate bid to escape the flames, the rats eat their way through the target's internal organs.

With their sharp incisors, the rats will gnaw their way all the way through a person's back.