5 – Torn Apart By Trees
In Ancient Persia, it didn’t pay to be a thief. In most other societies, especially in modern times, being convicted of theft doesn’t even warrant a mandatory prison sentence. Instead, thieves are given lenient ‘suspended’ prison sentences or forced to perform community service. Things were a little different in Persia, to say the least.
If you were caught stealing, a horrific death awaited you. First of all, you would be brought to a spot where trees were close together. Next, the executioners would tie the tops of two of the trees as close together as possible. Then, the convict’s legs were tied to the tops of the trees, one leg per tree. Finally, the executioners cut the cord.
One can only imagine the gruesome spectacle as the trees sprang apart at incredible speeds. They would shoot upright, and the victim was still tied to them; their body would be torn in half due to the sheer force. Once the execution was over, witnesses would see half of the victim’s body dangling from both trees.
To say it was an effective punishment is an understatement. The Persians would leave the pieces of the victim’s corpse dangling from the trees as a deterrent to other prospective thieves. Whenever possible, they would try to find trees as close to the scene of the robbery as possible.