Quote Originally Posted by Aeneas
Believe it or not, some ancient cultures like the Assyrians who used torture and terror as a weapon of war would often hold public torture sessions (flaying alive was a favorite) to acclimate their youth to what was to be expected.
As regards flaying alive, this is what Jonathan Swift (1667-1745) author of Gullivers Travels wrote on the subject:-

"Last week I saw a woman flayed, and you will hardly believe how much it altered her person for the worse".