During the Middle Ages, torture was considered a legitimate way to extract confessions, punish offenders, and perform executions. Some methods were considerably crueler than others — these 10 being ...

(THE CONVERSATION) The image of a witch flying on a broomstick is iconic, but it is not nearly as old as the idea of witchcraft itself, which dates to the earliest days of humankind. Several ...

What are witches? Were witches evil? Did witches float or sink? Were witches left-handed? And perhaps most importantly, are witches real? Join Medieval Historian Eleanor Janega in this new video as ...

A probable witches' mark found at the site of the abandoned St. Mary's church in Buckinghamshire, England HS2 LTD This week, archaeologists conducting excavations at the abandoned church of St. Mary’s ...

Some may be disturbed, others may be grossed out and a few might find it fascinating, but most visitors to this new museum in Los Angles will have a hard time forgetting all of the unbelievably cruel ...

In a medieval Italian cemetery, archaeologists recently exhumed the skeletal remains of a victim of a medieval torture device known as the breaking wheel. University of Milan archaeologist Debora ...

Eds: This story was supplied by The Conversation for AP customers. The Associated Press does not guarantee the content. Michael D. Bailey, Iowa State University (THE CONVERSATION) The image of a witch ...