What These Torture Devices Were Actually Designed to Do

Rats, fire, a metal cage, and a slow inevitability. That's where we start, because medieval torture isn't really "ancient history" when you can still trace its logic in the way societies talk about punishment today. We're joined by Kim Ashmore, General Manager of the Medieval Torture Museum in Los Angeles, to explore the questions most people avoid once the details get too real. What were these devices built to do? How did they actually work? And why did anyone think this belonged in a justice system? Kim walks us through the museum's mission and why interactivity matters for historical learning, especially when the subject is execution tools and torture devices like the guillotine, Iron Maiden, pendulum blade, rack, and more. We unpack the courtroom purpose behind torture, the brutal incentive structure of forced confessions, and the way public fear shaped ideas of law, order, and justice. Then we head into the darkest corners of history, examining infamous methods including the Sicilian bull, torture by rats, impalement, and the bloody eagle. Along the way, we discuss what these practices reveal about deterrence, spectacle, and human nature itself. Because this is Ghost City, we also explore a darker question: if trauma can leave an imprint on places, can it leave an imprint on objects? What does that mean for a museum filled with instruments built for suffering? We close with a conversation about modern punishment, including solitary confinement, and discuss where visitors can experience the Medieval Torture Museum today, including locations in Los Angeles, Chicago, and St. Augustine.