“They lay the Malefactor upon his Belly, with his Hands tied behind his Back, then they slit up his Fundament with a Razor, and throw into it a handful of Paste that they have in readiness, which immediately stops the Blood. The merchant Jean de Thevenot provides an eyewitness account of this, from 17th century Egypt: It consists of inserting a sharpened stake in the anus, vagina or in the lower abdomen of the victim,īeing held by force in the prone position, then proceed to hit the post with a hammer to make it penetrate into the body and reach the torso, or get it out from the chest, or even the back of the mouth. Subsequently, the pole would be placed upright and feet would be tied to the stake to prevent the body from further sliding.Īn expert executioner expert would be able to avoid harming any vital organ, prolonging the agony of the victim for several days: reports speak of impaled people who survived up to 6 days.

The longitudinal impalement is perhaps the first that comes to mind when talking about this torture.