The ‘most painful torture device’ has been seen in so many films, shows, and has been told throughout history- but experts have weighed in on whether it was real or not.
From blood eagles to keelhauling, or even entombment, our ancestors sure knew how to murder a person, but this device took the top spot for pure cruelty.
Let’s go back to the sixth Century BC, when Perilaus of Athens, an Ancient Greek inventor, apparently came up with the Brazen Bull.
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This invention was a giant sculpture of a bronze bull which featured a hatch in the belly, and pipes in the bull’s mouth to carry the screams of its victims (apparently sounding like a bull’s call).
It was designed so that those who would be placed in it would be roasted to death when a fire was lit beneath it, and if you want to know what that would look like, see Saw for reference.
But did this device actually ever exist?
Well, here’s the strange thing. No archaeological digs have found evidence of anything like the Brazen Bull, putting the whole thing into speculation.
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Because of this lack of evidence, many historians believe that it was all part of mythical storytelling, which in turn made it a legend.
Even though ancient Greek and Roman scholars did write about it, it could have been down to rumour or whispers which made people believe that it was real.
According to one person who answered this very question over on Reddit, it’s unlikely to be true.
They wrote that even though there are ‘no shortage of textual references to it’, the story of the bull ‘is explicitly used as a sort of parable about the cruelty of autocratic rulers in our texts’ and that it’s impossible to know how much of the story is true, and how much is pure fantasy.
Although, they did say that ‘there's probably some grain of truth in it somewhere’, as history continues to provide no solid ground for it, ‘we simply don't know how true it is’.
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Then, a biology major from Princeton wrote on Quora: "No. it was fictional. It was supposedly made for Phalaris the tyrant of Akragas, Sicily in 488 BC.
"The tale came to us via Diodorus Siculus, writing 500 years later in I century AD. Diodorus was notorious for presenting mythology and fiction as fact."
A history student went on to add: "The only evidence comes from writings of Greek historians, there's no archaeological evidence to support its existence. Whether it actually existed or not is a subject of debate among historians."
Ultimately, modern day scholars believe that the device, which Italian poet and philosopher Dante referenced in the Inferno, is likely a myth. But this hasn't stopped whispers being passed on throughout history about the Brazen Bull's inventor and his tragic end, as well as other potential victims of the terrible torture device.
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According to stories, Perilaus had no use for the device, so he bestowed it to the tyrant Phalaris, who led the Sicilian state of Akragas. Apparently, Phalaris was a cannibal and devoured babies, so the Brazen Bull would be child’s play for him.
Anyway, according to some historical whispers, Phalaris wanted to see how it worked, and so he put Perilaus inside of it and lit a flame beneath it to hear the bull noises.
Then, once he was injured but alive, he took him out and finished him off by pushing him off a cliff.
However, apparently, the tyrant would also get to feel what being inside of the bull was like, as in 554 BC, it is said that he was overthrown and placed inside of it to die.
Now, there have been a few mentions of the bull throughout history, such as the case of St Antipas, or Antipas of Pergamum, who was executed by the Roman emperor Nero for allegedly conducting exorcisms.
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Then there was St Eustace (aka Eustachious), a Roman soldier who was executed by the emperor Hadrian for converting to Christianity.
But as of now, there is no conclusive evidence that the Brazen Bull was ever used for torture, or that ever even existed. Hopefully these people met their end in a less painful way...
Britt Jones