When we think about impalement, we don’t necessarily associate it with bodies, or do we? Because of Vlad the Impaler, we know that at least one person used it obsessively, but what if I told you it is much older than Vlad?

How Old Is The Practice Of Impalement?

The history of impalement is torturous. It is an excruciating and irreversible method of execution. The classical practice consists of the penetration of a human body through a bottom orifice by an inanimate object such as a stake, pole, spear, or hook. The completion of the torture follows with the perforation at the other end of the object through the torso.

Impalement was often the sentence for crimes against the ‘state’ throughout numerous civilizations. It was a capital punishment reserved for horrid crimes of the time or era. However, death through impalement, due to its horrifying scenery, was also employed to implement fear and suppress the desire for rebellion against a leader.