Corporal punishment appears to have been around since the dawn of human society. Actions that were contrary to the precepts of elders were punished not only by censure. To pay tribute to the violator of social norms, improvised means were used: a whip, a stick or a rod.
Rods as a way of punishment
Without a doubt, behavioral deviations often deserve punishment. From time immemorial, physical pressure has been used to restore justice to violators. Those who disregarded the rules and laws were mercilessly flogged with sticks, rope or leather whips. Rods held a special place among corporal punishment.
Rods are flexible and very thin rods of trees or shrubs. They were connected in bundles, often tying together. With this simple device, they flogged the guilty, choosing the most sensitive parts of the body for blows. During and after such a flogging, a person experienced severe physical and mental suffering, which, according to the executors, carried a positive educational effect and contributed to repentance. To make the punishment more effective, the rods were often pre-soaked in salted water, which gave this "tool" additional flexibility.
Punishment with rods: a history of use
Punishment with rods has been widely used since ancient times. This is clearly evidenced by the sources from which scientists draw information about the history of Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome. Rods were in special demand among the educators of ancient Sparta, where the masters of corporal punishment used such a device extremely widely.
There are references to rods in the Bible. For some transgressions and sins, the Jews were punished with flogging. At the same time, a certain number of blows with rods were clearly maintained, depending on the severity of the offense. In the New Testament there are indications that the persecutors of the apostles mercilessly flogged them with rods and stoned them (“The History of the Rod,” D. Bertram, 1992).
Flogging with rods was quite widespread in Europe until the end of the 19th century, and even longer in some countries. Rods were used in the upbringing of disobedient children, as a punishment in administrative and judicial practice. They also whipped the guilty soldiers. In Russia, this cruel procedure was canceled at the beginning of the last century.
During the heyday of corporal punishment, flogging with rods was a symbol of authoritarianism. Not only children, but also respectable, mature men were afraid of the rods. The marks on the back and below the waist did not heal for a long time. And the one who experienced the educational influence of the punitive instrument for a long time retained in his memory the feeling of physical pain and moral humiliation that accompanied the punishment.