The method of Torture and Punishment called ''Flagellation'' - has been around since before The Middle Ages. Often known as "Flogging" or ''Scourging'' was seen in Ancient Rome and carried outward to just about every Country in the World (at some point). During The Middle Ages, it was a form of Public Humiliation. Various "beating devices", made of many different types of materials have also been used over the Centuries. Leather, Rope, Chain - the list is endless. Whipping material was fastened to a wooden (or metal) handle (some made quite ornate!). A Victim was tied to a wall or post with their back exposed (sometimes they were nude). The Administrator of the Punishment would repeatedly strike the Victim's back (over and over). Various degrees of trauma were the result. From contusions to split and opened skin (in some cases deep enough to expose bone). If used as a method of Execution, Whipping "Cords", would have metal, glass or bone attached to The Flagels. Flogging could involve Women in Public (without creating a problem for the various social norms for females in The Middle Ages). Whipping was also a staple of punishment for MANY Armies and Navies, when soldiers and sailors broke the rules. Although most Countries outlawed flogging as a Punishment around the late 19th and early 20th Centuries, some ''3rd World Countries'' STILL employ Flogging and beating as a form of Punishment.