Inventor of most evil torture device known to man became a victim of it

Just in case you were ever inclined to pursue a career inventing torture devices, bear in mind the cautionary and (possibly) true tale of the guy who invented one of the worst of all time.

As a species we're pretty good at coming up with ways to kill and maim each other, but some ways are much worse than others.

Ideally they'd all be avoided but things aren't always sunshine and roses, and that goes doubly for the people who invent these things.

Think, therefore, on the sad story of Perilaus of Athens, an inventor in Ancient Greek times who in the 6th Century BC created something called the Brazen Bull.

This bizarre invention was basically a big sculpture of a bull made out of bronze, with a hatch in the belly and a series of pipes in the bull's mouth.

The idea behind the Brazen Bull was for someone to be put inside and a fire lit underneath it, cooking the unfortunate occupant while their screams were transformed into the noise of a bull.

Of course, such an evil torture device needs a suitably evil owner and Perilaus decided that it should belong to Phalaris, the tyrant of the Sicilian state of Akragas.

It's been claimed that Phalaris was a cannibal who ate newborn babies, so either he was a truly monstrous person or he really p****d off some people enough that they said he ate babies.

Who creates a bull statue made for cooking people in? Some Greek guy called Perilaus, apparently. (Discovery)

Anyhow, it's not clear whether Phalaris commissioned Perilaus to make the Brazen Bull or whether the inventor decided he knew just the evil b*****d who'd fully appreciate a thing like that, but the inventor certainly knew what the tyrant would enjoy.

However, it turns out that just because you make a cruel tyrant a new torture device it doesn't mean he'll become your friend.

Phalaris asked the inventor to get inside the Brazen Bull to demonstrate what the noises would sound like, and to make it more realistic the tyrant locked Perilaus inside and set a fire under the bull.

It would have been agony for Periluas, being cooked alive in his own invention, but the tyrant did end up letting him out before he died.

"I very much regret making this." (LADbible/AI)

Sadly for the inventor, if he had any hopes about getting out of Akragas with his life he was going to be sorely disappointed, as Phalaris gave him a ticket to the Underworld by having him thrown off a hill to his death.

The tyrant was certainly impressed by the Brazen Bull and used it until his own downfall in 554 BC.

Phalaris supposedly enjoyed the sight of the bull rocking back and forth as the victim inside writhed in pain.

In an act of poetic justice when he was overthrown his execution was carried out by placing him inside the Brazen Bull and seeing how he liked it.

He very much didn't, and died in what we can only imagine was a lot of pain.

Topics: History, Weird