Archaeologists from the University of Milan have made a spine-chilling discovery, unearthing the Medieval skeleton of a young man who appears to have suffered a gruesome death due to a torturous method and a failed beheading attempt, as reported in the Journal of Archaeological Science.
The unfortunate individual met his demise between the ages of 17 and 20 during the 13th century and was buried near a cathedral in Milan, Italy.
Upon examining the skeleton, researchers noticed symmetrically placed wounds on the arms and legs, hinting at a deliberate infliction of pain. Historical documents led the team to believe that the man had been subjected to “the wheel,” also known as the “breaking wheel” or the “Catharine wheel”.
This barbaric instrument of execution was widely used across Europe until the early modern era began around 1500.
The exact procedure of this device’s use varied, but it typically involved the systematic breaking of the victim’s limbs, followed by additional trauma inflicted with the wheel itself, reports the Irish Star.
In some accounts, tormentors would initiate the process by dropping the hefty wooden wheel onto the victim’s limbs, commencing with the shin bones and gradually moving upwards. Once the body was sufficiently battered, the shattered limbs would be threaded through the wheel spokes or tightly bound to it using a rope.
Further injuries were then inflicted – utilising either blades, blunt objects, fire, whips, or red-hot pincers – after which the wheel was hoisted on a pole and displayed akin to a flag. The nearly deceased victim would hang here for an extended period, possibly days or weeks, until they eventually succumbed or were mercifully put to death.
This savage torture technique was most commonly used against those accused of atrocious crimes, but in northern Italy, where this body was discovered, this form of torture was typically reserved for individuals suspected of spreading the plague.
“The victim of the wheel could have been perceived as different by his contemporaries, and potentially this discrimination may have led to his final conviction, as he could have been sacrificed, being a “freak”, by an irate crowd, as a plague spreader,” the researchers pen.
As if this wasn’t enough, forensic examination of his skeleton also unveiled unusual linear fractures at the base of his skull. This was most likely, the researchers suggest, the result of a sharp force trauma from a heavy weapon during a “clumsy decapitation.”
If this theory of wheel torture is accurate, the researchers will have documented the first archaeological evidence of a human being tortured by the wheel, certainly in medieval northern Italy, if not the world.
One thing is for sure, this unfortunate individual did not have a pleasant last few days on Earth.