Scaphism


Scaphism, also known as the boats, is reported by Plutarch in his Life of Artaxerxes, citing Ctesias, as an ancient Persian method of execution. He describes the victim being trapped between two small boats, one inverted on top of the other, with limbs and head sticking out, feeding them and smearing them with milk and honey, and allowing them to fester and be devoured by insects and other vermin over time.
Like other related acts described by Ctesias, the use of this method is historically doubted.

Historical descriptions

The first mention of scaphism is Plutarch's description of the execution of the soldier Mithridates, given as punishment by king Artaxerxes II for taking the king’s valor and claiming to be the one who killed his brother Cyrus the Younger, who had rebelled in an attempt to claim the throne of the Achaemenid Empire:
The 12th-century Byzantine chronicler Joannes Zonaras later described the punishment, based on Plutarch:
It is believed that Plutarch's account of Scaphism came from Ctesias, a Greek physician and historian. However, Ctesias's credibility is questionable due to his reputation for fanciful and exaggerated narratives. His uncorroborated accounts have stirred debates about the veracity of his work.

In fiction

  • In Shakespeare's The Winter's Tale, the rogue Autolycus falsely tells the shepherd and his son that because Perdita has fallen in love with the prince, her adoptive father will be stoned, while her adoptive brother will be subjected to the following punishment:
  • In H. Rider Haggard's The Ancient Allan the protagonist Allan Quatermain experiences a vision of one of his past lives, in which he was a great Egyptian hunter named Shabaka. At one time he is condemned to "death by the boat" by the "King of kings" because of a hunting bet they had made. When Shabaka asks what is to happen to him, he is told by a eunuch:
  • In The Venture Bros. episode "The Bellicose Proxy", a variation of this torture is described with tubs in place of boats.
  • In Instinct, Season 2 Episode 5 "Ancient History", a victim of this torture is shown.
  • In Your Pretty Face Is Going to Hells Season 4 episode "Milk and Honey", this torture is prominent.
  • Blindboy Boatclub's short story "Scaphism" describes a murder committed using this method.
  • In Inside No. 9s Season 8 episode "The Last Weekend", this torture is used as a method of revenge.