4 – Scaphism
Also known as ‘the boats,’ Scaphism was one of the most horrific forms of execution imaginable and was only ordered by the king when he hated someone. The first step was to strip the intended victim naked and placed inside either a hollowed-out tree or two boats. The person’s head, feet, and arms would stick out and be exposed to the sun. Next, the victim was force-fed honey and milk until he had diarrhea and filled the trunk with his own filth.
This was just the start of the ordeal. The torturers rubbed honey over the exposed parts of the victim to ensure insects would fly over and nestle on the victim’s body. Bugs ate away at the flesh and wasps would arrive and viciously sting the person over and over again. Sadly, there was no respite for the victim as the torturers would do their utmost to keep him alive as long as possible by continuing their force-feeding process.
At this point, the victim would be thrown into a stagnant pond, still in their prison, and after a few days, their mind would start to deteriorate. Eventually, delirium set in and when death finally came, it was normally due to septic shock as they were eaten from the inside out.
According to Plutarch, one of the victims of Scaphism, a Persian soldier called Mithridates, suffered in his wooden prison for a total of 17 days. He was involved in the death of Cyrus the Younger (although he did not kill him) and paid a heavy price. After the death of the victim, the Persians would open the wooden trunk; one can only imagine the terrible stench. Incidentally, Native Americans used a similar form of torture, but they did not force-feed their victims. As a result, the captured individual died from starvation after a few days.