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The Bronze Bull, Brazen Bull, or the Sicilian Bull, is an execution/torture device designed in ancient Greece
Ancient Greece

The term Ancient Greece refers to the period of History of Greece lasting from the Greek Dark Ages ca. 1100 BC and the Dorian invasion, to 146 BC and the Roman Republic conquest of Greece after the Battle of Corinth ....
.

Perillos of Athens
Athens

Athens , the Capital and largest city of Greece, dominates the Attica periphery; as one of the List of cities by time of continuous habitation, its recorded history spans around 3,400 years....
, a brass-founder, proposed to Phalaris
Phalaris

Phalaris was the tyrant of Acragas in Sicily, from approximately 570 to 554 BC.File:Pierre Woeiriot Phalaris.jpg...
, the tyrant
Tyrant

This article is about the political ruler. For other uses see Tyrant and Tyranny In modern usage, a tyrant is a single ruler holding absolute political power over a state or within an organization....
 of Akragas, Sicily
Sicily

Sicily is an Autonomous regions with special statute of Italy. Of all the regions of Italy, Sicily covers the largest land area at 25,708 km? and currently has just over five million inhabitants....
, the invention of a new means for executing criminals; accordingly, he cast a bull
Cattle

Cattle, colloquially referred to as cows, are domestication ungulates, a member of the subfamily Bovinae of the family Bovidae. They are raised as livestock for meat , dairy products , leather and as draft animals ....
, made entirely of brass
Brass

Brass is any alloy of copper and zinc; the proportions of zinc and copper can be varied to create a range of brasses with varying properties. In comparison, bronze is principally an alloy of copper and tin....
, hollow, with a door in the side. The condemned were shut in the bull and a fire was set under it, heating the metal until it became "yellow hot" and causing the person inside to roast to death.






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The Bronze Bull, Brazen Bull, or the Sicilian Bull, is an execution/torture device designed in ancient Greece
Ancient Greece

The term Ancient Greece refers to the period of History of Greece lasting from the Greek Dark Ages ca. 1100 BC and the Dorian invasion, to 146 BC and the Roman Republic conquest of Greece after the Battle of Corinth ....
.

Perillos of Athens
Athens

Athens , the Capital and largest city of Greece, dominates the Attica periphery; as one of the List of cities by time of continuous habitation, its recorded history spans around 3,400 years....
, a brass-founder, proposed to Phalaris
Phalaris

Phalaris was the tyrant of Acragas in Sicily, from approximately 570 to 554 BC.File:Pierre Woeiriot Phalaris.jpg...
, the tyrant
Tyrant

This article is about the political ruler. For other uses see Tyrant and Tyranny In modern usage, a tyrant is a single ruler holding absolute political power over a state or within an organization....
 of Akragas, Sicily
Sicily

Sicily is an Autonomous regions with special statute of Italy. Of all the regions of Italy, Sicily covers the largest land area at 25,708 km? and currently has just over five million inhabitants....
, the invention of a new means for executing criminals; accordingly, he cast a bull
Cattle

Cattle, colloquially referred to as cows, are domestication ungulates, a member of the subfamily Bovinae of the family Bovidae. They are raised as livestock for meat , dairy products , leather and as draft animals ....
, made entirely of brass
Brass

Brass is any alloy of copper and zinc; the proportions of zinc and copper can be varied to create a range of brasses with varying properties. In comparison, bronze is principally an alloy of copper and tin....
, hollow, with a door in the side. The condemned were shut in the bull and a fire was set under it, heating the metal until it became "yellow hot" and causing the person inside to roast to death. So that 'nothing unseemly might spoil his feasting', Phalaris commanded that the bull be designed in such a way that its smoke rose in spicy clouds of incense. The head of the ox was designed with a complex system of tubes and stops so that the prisoner's screams were converted into sounds like the bellowing of an infuriated bull. It is also said that when the bull was reopened, the scorched bones of the remains shone like jewels and were made into bracelet
Bracelet

A bracelet is an article of jewelry which is worn around the wrist. Bracelets can be manufacturing from leather, cloth, hemp, plastic or metal, and sometimes contain Rock s, wood, and/or Animal shells....
s.

Phalaris commended the invention, and ordered its horn sound system to be tested by Perillos himself. When Perillos entered, he was immediately locked in, and the fire was set, so that Phalaris could hear the sound of his screams.

Before Perillos could die, Phalaris opened the door and took him away. Perillos believed he would receive a reward for his invention; instead, after freeing him from the bull, Phalaris threw him from the top of a hill, killing him. Phalaris himself is said to have been killed in the brazen bull when he was overthrown by Telemachus
Telemachus

Telemachus is a figure in Greek mythology, the son of Odysseus and Penelope, and a central character in Homer's Odyssey. The first four books in particular focus on Telemachus's journeys in search of news about his father; they are, therefore, traditionally accorded the collective title Telemachy....
.

The Romans were recorded as having used this torture device to kill some Christian
Christianity

Christianity is a Monotheistic religion #Christian view religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus as New Testament view on Jesus' life....
 martyrs
Martyrs

Martyrs may refer to:*Plural of martyr.*Martyrs - a France mystery film-horror film written and directed by Pascal Laugier*Martyrs - a Canada-Republika Srpska feature docudrama film by Denis Cviticanin....
, notably Saint Eustace, who, according to Christian tradition, was roasted in a brazen bull with his wife and children by the Emperor Hadrian
Hadrian

Publius Aelius Hadrianus , as emperor Imperator Caesar Divi Traiani filius Traianus Hadrianus Augustus, and Divus Hadrianus after his apotheosis, known as Hadrian in English language, was Roman Emperor of Roman Empire from AD 117 to 138, as well as a Stoicism and Epicureanism philosopher....
, and Saint Antipas
Saint Antipas

Saint Antipas is referred to in the Book of Revelation as the "faithful martyr" of Pergamon. According to Christian tradition, John the Apostle ordained Antipas as bishop of the Pergamon during the reign of the Roman emperor Domitian....
, Bishop of Pergamum during the persecutions of Emperor Domitian
Domitian

Titus Flavius Domitianus , commonly known as Domitian, was a Roman Emperor who reigned from 14 September 81 until his death. Domitian was the last emperor of the Flavian dynasty, which ruled the Roman Empire between 69 and 96, encompassing the reigns of Domitian's father Vespasian , his elder brother Titus , and that of Domitian himself...
, and the first martyr in Asia Minor, roasted to death in a brazen bull in c.92; his tomb became a site of miracles.

Another Christian martyr, Saint Pelagia of Tarsus, is said to have been burned in a brazen bull in 287
287

Events...
 by the Emperor Diocletian
Diocletian

Gaius Aurelius Valerius Diocletianus , born Diocles and commonly known as Diocletian , was Roman Emperor from November 20, 284 to May 1, 305....
.

The satirist Lucian
Lucian

Lucian of Samosata was an Assyrian people rhetorician, and satire who wrote in the Greek language. He is noted for his witty and scoffing nature....
, in the 2nd century A.D., is said to have given the first detailed description of the creation and use of the Brazen Bull.

The bull is mentioned in Dante's Inferno
Dante's Inferno

Dante's Inferno may refer to:* The Divine Comedy#Inferno, the epic poem by Dante Alighieri* Dante's Inferno , a game that will be realeased in 2009....
.

Legacy


Brisbane
Brisbane

Brisbane is the state List of Australian capital cities of Queensland and its most populous city. It is also the List of cities in Australia by population in Australia, behind southern rivals Sydney and Melbourne....
 grindcore band Brazen Bull
Brazen bull

The Bronze Bull, Brazen Bull, or the Sicilian Bull, is an execution/torture device designed in ancient Greece.Perillos of Athens, a brass-founder, proposed to Phalaris, the tyrant of Akragas, Sicily, the invention of a new means for executing criminals; accordingly, he cast a Cattle, made entirely of brass, hollow, with a door...
 was named after the torture device.

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