Carding (torture)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
In torture, carding involved scraping or tearing the victim's flesh with metal combs normally used for combing wool.[1]
Combs usually had one or two rows of teeth, each a few inches in length. These are the "wool combs" used to prepare fiber (such as wool) for worsted-spun thread, not the more modern, short-toothed carders used to prepare wool for woolen spinning.
A famous example of "carding" was the torture of a supporter of Pantaleon, half-brother of Croesus, who attempted to bring him to the throne of the Lydian Empire before Croesus became King. A description of the man's death is listed in Herodotus: "Croesus tortured this opponent of his to death by having him hauled over a carding-comb."[2]
