Breaking wheel

sketchfab

The Catherine wheel, also known as simply the wheel or breaking wheel, was a gruesome device used for capital punishment that dates back to ancient times and continued well into early modern times. The purpose of this torture machine was to publicly execute criminals by inflicting severe physical harm, often resulting in death by bone-breaking or blunt force trauma. As a means of execution, it remained a common practice from classical periods all the way up until the 18th century. In some cases, the wheel's use didn't stop even after the prisoner had been executed; it continued to be employed as a post-mortem punishment in 19th-century Germany.