The Brazen
Bull was invented by Perilaus of Athens (a Brass worker) in the 6th Century BC
and offered to Phalaris, Tyrant of Agrigentum, as a gift. It was a large brass
bull that was completely hollow inside with a door on the side large enough for
a man to enter. Once the man was inside the bull, a fire would be lit beneath
it in order to roast him to death. In the head of the bull, Perilaus put a
series of tubes and stops that were designed to amplify the screams of the
victim and make them sound like the roar of a bull. Not
having to see the victim, onlookers could more easily separate themselves from
the torture taking place.
Interestingly,
Perilaus was the first person to feel the pain of the Brazen Bull. Perilaus was
removed from the Bull before he died and Phalaris had him thrown off a cliff.
The Brazen Bull became one of the most common methods of execution in Ancient
Greece.
No comments:
Post a Comment