1. Scaphism
It is debatable whether scaphism is one of the most brutal ways people were sentenced to death, but it is certainly one of the most imaginative ones. Scaphism was invented and practiced by Persians. Due to its elaborate nature, it was probably reserved only acts of high treason against the throne. It involved placing the victim inside two boats, fastened one on top of the other. Sometimes hollowed logs were used. Victims’ heads and limbs were protruding from the contraption and they were fed with honey and milk. Then they were placed into a stagnant pool of water and a generous amount of honey was poured over them. The mixture of milk, honey, and their own feces quickly attracted insects, who fed on the victim, burrowing into their body or entering through body cavities and laying eggs. Each day, they were fed again in order to prolong the suffering. According to Plutarch, one victim lasted for 17 days. The KGB developed their own version of torture based on scaphism: closing the naked victim into a wooden box filled with bedbugs.
