For centuries across Europe the methods of torture were many and various, as were the crimes for which they could be applied. Lesser wrongdoers might be punished with a spell in the stocks or pillory, to be ridiculed and pelted with filth. From branding, thumbscrews and the ducking stool, the severity of punishments increased with the offence. Stretching on the rack was used to encourage confessions; being slowly crushed under stone blocks was usually reserved for anyone refusing to enter a plea in court.
There were no clear dividing lines between corporal punishment and torture – whipping and beating, for example, were common-place. Torture was also often a part of the process of execution, as in crucifixion, or the appalling ritual of hanging and drawing (halfstrangling and then disembowelling) a victim before the head and limbs were cut off.
Mental torture has always existed alongside the physical kind. Exile, solitary confinement and threats to victims’ families or comrades are typical. ‘Refinements’ brought about by modern psychological techniques and drugs have rendered it even more horrific.
Implements and machines designed to maim and kill were being made thousands of years ago, and have been used by all societies. Here are a few of the basic but horribly effective instruments you will come across as you make your way through the Dungeons. After many centuries, they still have the power to make you shiver. Take a moment to ponder whether you could refuse to confess to anything, or reveal information, if threatened with any one of them...
For further information about Amsterdam attracties, pictures or a request to visit the Edinburgh Dungeon, or for info on sister Dungeons London, York, Amsterdam and Hamburg please contact: ellie(dot)cowley(at)merlinentertainments(dot)biz
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