Cyphonism: Difference between revisions
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'''Cyphonism''' ({{lang-el|κυφωνισμός}}, from {{lang|grc|κῡφός}}, "bent, crooked") was a form of punishment using a {{lang|el|κύφων}} ({{lang|el-Latn|kyphon}}), a kind of wooden [[pillory]] in which the neck of a malefactor would be fastened.<ref>{{Cite OED|cyphonism}}</ref> Formerly, this term was widely believed to refer to [[scaphism]], a form of punishment or torture in which a person's naked body was smeared with honey, and exposed to flies, wasps, and other pests.<ref>{{WD1913 |title=Cyphonism |no-prescript=1}}</ref><ref>{{Cyclopaedia 1728 |title=Cyphonism |no-prescript=1}}</ref> More properly, cyphonism refers to such torture when the victim is tightly packed into a hollow tree trunk from which his head, hands, and bare feet protrude. By way of contrast, scaphism was an ancient Persian torture devised specifically to punish Mithridates for some insurrectionist act. The twin boats fitted under and over his body, |
'''Cyphonism''' ({{lang-el|κυφωνισμός}}, from {{lang|grc|κῡφός}}, "bent, crooked") was a form of punishment using a {{lang|el|κύφων}} ({{lang|el-Latn|kyphon}}), a kind of wooden [[pillory]] in which the neck of a malefactor would be fastened.<ref>{{Cite OED|cyphonism}}</ref> Formerly, this term was widely believed to refer to [[scaphism]], a form of punishment or torture in which a person's naked body was smeared with honey, and exposed to flies, wasps, and other pests.<ref>{{WD1913 |title=Cyphonism |no-prescript=1}}</ref><ref>{{Cyclopaedia 1728 |title=Cyphonism |no-prescript=1}}</ref> More properly, cyphonism refers to such torture when the victim is tightly packed into a hollow tree trunk from which his head, hands, and bare feet protrude. By way of contrast, scaphism was an ancient Persian torture devised specifically to punish Mithridates for some insurrectionist act. The twin boats fitted under and over his body, again exposing the head and extremities of the malefactor. It may be noted that the clever and calculated use of torture as a judicial tool arose in Persia or, at least, the coextensive geographic area, dating back at least as far as the Assyrians. |
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==References== |
==References== |
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Revision as of 18:29, 18 April 2021
Cyphonism (Template:Lang-el, from κῡφός, "bent, crooked") was a form of punishment using a κύφων (kyphon), a kind of wooden pillory in which the neck of a malefactor would be fastened.[1] Formerly, this term was widely believed to refer to scaphism, a form of punishment or torture in which a person's naked body was smeared with honey, and exposed to flies, wasps, and other pests.[2][3] More properly, cyphonism refers to such torture when the victim is tightly packed into a hollow tree trunk from which his head, hands, and bare feet protrude. By way of contrast, scaphism was an ancient Persian torture devised specifically to punish Mithridates for some insurrectionist act. The twin boats fitted under and over his body, again exposing the head and extremities of the malefactor. It may be noted that the clever and calculated use of torture as a judicial tool arose in Persia or, at least, the coextensive geographic area, dating back at least as far as the Assyrians.
References
- ^ "cyphonism". Oxford English Dictionary (Online ed.). Oxford University Press. (Subscription or participating institution membership required.)
- ^ Porter, Noah, ed. (1913). "Cyphonism". Webster's Dictionary. Springfield, Massachusetts: C. & G. Merriam Co.
- ^
Chambers, Ephraim, ed. (1728). "Cyphonism". Cyclopædia, or an Universal Dictionary of Arts and Sciences (1st ed.). James and John Knapton, et al.
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