10 Really Weird Deaths from Antiquity and the Middle Ages
There have been some really weird deaths in human history. Jumping into a volcano to prove a point. Falling through the floor into liquid sewage.
Read on for ten examples of weird deaths from Antiquity to the Middle Ages; including Empedocles of Akragas who jumped into Mount Etna, and the Erfurt Latrine Disaster where a gathering of nobles fell through a wooden floor into… yeah.
Note: Featured image credit: pexels.com/Nehayaldesin
1. Draco of Athens
In around 620 BC, Draco of Athens was reportedly smothered to death when being showered with gifts of cloaks and hats at a theatre in Aegina, Greece.
2. Duke Jing of Jin
In 581 BC, Chinese ruler Duke Jing of Jin died by falling through a hole in the bathroom, where he drowned. Interestingly, he had previously been warned by a shaman that he wouldn’t live to see the new wheat harvest. Not liking this prophecy, the Duke had the shaman executed. Unfortunately, just as he was about to eat some wheat, he needed to use the bathroom…
3. Zeuxis
In the 5th century BC, Greek painter Zeuxis, died of laughter while painting an elderly woman. “No comment,” the woman later said. (Okay we made up that last bit.)
4. Empedocles of Akragas
Around 430 BC, Empedocles of Akragas had a bit of a self-esteem issue and considered himself a divine, immortal being. According to Diogenes Laertius, Empedocles attempted to prove this by jumping into Mount Etna, an active volcano. Needless to say, it was not a successful attempt.
5. Tiberius Claudius Drusus
Around 20 AD, Tiberius Claudius Drusus, the eldest son of the future Roman emperor Claudius, was killed by a pear. This is another of the self-inflicted weird deaths on the list. Tiberius thew a pear up in the air then caught it in his mouth as it came back down. However, it got lodged into his throat, and he choked on it.
6. Sigurd the Mighty
In the year 892, Sigurd the Mighty was riding with the head of his defeated foe Máel Brigte strapped to his horse’s saddle. As Sigurd rode, Bigte’s teeth rubbed against his leg. According to Old Norse sagas, this caused an infection that went on to kill him.
7. Edmund Ironside
This is one of the most well-known weird deaths because of how truly bizarre it is. Edmund Ironside, an English king, was stabbed by an assassin in 1016. Not just any assassin: this one was hiding inside Ironside’s toilet and stabbed him when he sat on it, according to Henry of Huntington.
8. Pope Adrian IV
Pope Adrian IV was the only Englishman to ever serve as Pope. He reportedly died in 1159 by choking on a fly while drinking spring water.
9. The Erfurt Latrine Disaster
In 1184, German king Henry VI was holding an assembly at the Petersburg Citadel in Erfurt. The weight of the assembled nobles proved too much for the building, and the wooden floor collapsed. Most of the nobles fell into the latrine cesspit below, with about 60 of them drowning in the liquid waste.
10. Charles II of Navarre
Charles II of Navarre was apparently so disliked that he was known as “Charles the Bad.” Sick in old age in 1387, his doctor ordered that he be tightly sewn up into a linen sheet that was then soaked in alcohol. Being highly flammable, the sheet accidentally caught fire; Charles later died from his injuries.