The belly was stitched closed, leaving only the accused’s head outside, preventing suffocation but prolonging suffering.
The accused was then stripped of clothing and stuffed into the animal’s belly. Take, for instance, a torture that was described by both Apuleius ( The Golden Ass) and Lucian ( Lucius, or the Ass):Ī donkey would be killed, its belly sliced open, and the entrails removed.
If you’re looking for cruel and unusual forms of torture, you don’t have to look any further than ancient Rome. There were always loopholes in the laws of ancient Rome, and the elite rulers exploited each and every one of them. That didn’t stop Rome’s elite from torturing the free men and women of their country, though. In fact, it was highly recommended that any free man accused of a crime would have his slaves tortured in his place, often to the death, so that a verdict could be reached. In ancient Rome, the general rule was that slaves could be freely tortured.
