Basanos

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Basanos ( ancient Greek βάσανος ), also called slave torture, was very widespread at the time of the Attic democracy , but was only rarely used.

In the legal dispute in Athens , the Agon , it was considered a legal move to confront the other side with the Proklesis . The opposing party was threatened that the defendant's slaves would be tortured in order to establish the truth . Based on the image that the Attic citizen had of the slave at the time, the word of a servant meant nothing. However, if he was tortured, the likelihood that he would tell the truth increased with the intensity of the torture.