How did antiquity’s dreaded devices, the Wickerman and the Brazen Bull, function; and what was the technology driving the Coliseum’s most notorious machines?
How did antiquity’s dreaded devices, the Wickerman and the Brazen Bull, function; and what was the technology driving the Coliseum’s most notorious machines?
Episode 1
How did antiquity's dreaded devices, the Wickerman and the Brazen Bull, function; and what was the technology driving the Coliseum's most notorious machines?
Episode 2
Why did medieval religious campaigns against heresy promote pitiless execution methods like the notorious rack, the grim thumb biter, and the hideous head crusher?
Episode 3
How was beheading mechanised during the French Revolution; why did people think garrotting was a merciful punishment; and what made the firing squad unreliable?
Episode 4
This series deconstructs the machines invented to cause destruction. Find out how they work and why the most devious devices are often the pinnacle of design.
Episode 5
Supposed witches and heretics had a hard time proving their innocence, especially when subjected to the disembowelment crank or the Aragon wheel of death.