The intended victim was stripped naked and then firmly fastened within the interior space of two narrow
rowing boats (or hollowed-out
tree trunks) joined together one on top of the other with the head, hands and feet protruding. The condemned was forced to ingest
milk and
honey, and more honey would be poured on him to attract
insects, with special attention devoted to the eyes, ears, mouth, face, genitals, and anus. In some cases, the executioner would mix milk and honey and pour that mixture all over the victim. He would then be left to float on a stagnant
pond or be exposed to the
sun. The defenseless individual's
feces accumulated within the container, attracting more insects which would eat and breed within the victim's exposed flesh, which—pursuant to interruption of the
blood supply by burrowing insects—became increasingly
gangrenous. The individual would lie naked, covered from head to toe in milk, honey, and his own feces. The feeding would be repeated each day in some cases to prolong the torture, so that fatal dehydration or starvation did not occur. Death, when it eventually occurred, was probably due to a combination of
dehydration,
starvation, and
septic shock.
Delirium would typically set in after a few days.
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