Foot roasting is a method of torture used since ancient times. The Romans immobilized the prisoner and pressed red-hot iron plates to the soles of his/her feet. The Spanish Inquisition frequently employed an enhanced technique, binding the prisoner face-upward to the rack with the bare feet secured in stocks. The soles of the feet were basted with lard or oil and slowly barbecued over a brazier of burning coals. A screen could be interposed between the feet and the coals to modulate the exposure, while a bellows controlled the intensity of the flame. Variants included suspending the prisoner head-downward and placing hot coals directly on the soles. Foot roasting remains a popular technique of torture to this day, though the modern variant typically makes use of a clothes iron applied to t