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This wide-ranging investigation analyzes the history of torture over the past 3800 years to determine its efficacy and expose its unanticipated long-term effects.

Torture through the Ages analyzes the use of torture since the Code of Hammurabi was enacted circa 1780 BC. It surveys the use of torture in Middle Eastern civilizations and by the ancient Hebrews, Greeks, and Romans. It discusses the practices of the Germanic kingdoms; the institutions of the medieval Catholic Church, including the Inquisition; and colonial empires. Finally, it brings the story up to date, examining how torture has been used by modern states, up to and including the George W. Bush administration's use of waterboarding in the prosecution of the War on Terror.

The motives, agendas, and results of torture are presented within each historical period, exposing its detrimental consequences for the leaders, regimes, and institutions that employ it. The book demonstrates that the application of torture is most often ineffective and self-destructive, making it clear that torture has consistently been a symptom of decline and a compounding factor of gradual state failure.

* A chronology of important dates in the history of torture

* Case studies from ancient civilizations, medieval institutions, and modern states explaining patterns of torture by collapsing regimes

* A comprehensive bibliography, including hundreds of relevant books, articles, newspaper items, and websites