Gibbeting-though it hits the ear like a word for happy playground chatter or perhaps, at worst, the cleaning of small game birds-is in fact a ghastly verb. To gibbet is to dip a corpse in tar and suspend it in a flat iron cage {the gibbet} in plain view of townsfolk while it rots and gets pecked apart by crows. A stroll through the square must have been a whole different plate of tamales back then.
The term "gibbeting" might sound innocuous, resembling something related to fun or perhaps mundane tasks, but it actually carries a dark and gruesome meaning. It refers to the horrifying act of covering a dead body in tar and placing it in a cage, leaving it on display for the public to see as it decomposes and is consumed by scavengers. This practice served as a macabre form of punishment and public deterrence, turning the town square into a grim scene.
During the time when gibbeting was practiced, a walk through the town center would have been marked by unsettling sights and odors, fundamentally altering the experience of social gatherings. The juxtap of casual daily life against such a brutal display of mortality reveals a historical context that starkly contrasts with modern sensibilities. Mary Roach's exploration of such themes in "Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers" illustrates how our understanding of death and the treatment of remains has evolved, encouraging reflection on societal practices and views surrounding mortality.
