We all die eventually, but some of us go out in weirder ways than others. With the number of people who have existed throughout human history, at least a few strange deaths are to be expected. Below, we compiled a list of some of the most bizarre deaths ever recorded in ancient history.
1. Sir William Payne-Gallwey: Death by Turnip
Sir William Payne-Gallwey was a British Member of Parliament in the late 19th century. Sir William, like many other British MPs, loved to go hunting throughout the year. On one unfortunate hunting trip, Sir William crossed through a turnip field, where he fell and sustained significant internal injury from one particularly large turnip. He died of his injuries just a few days later.
2. Zeuxis: Death by Laughter
Laughing is all fun and games – until it kills you. Zeuxis, a Greek painter in the 5th century BC, had his last laugh after observing his own painting of Aphrodite. Allegedly, an elderly woman had commissioned the painting for her home, but decided to model for it herself. After the painting of this elderly woman as Aphrodite was completed, Zeuxis observed his work and laughed so hard that he died.
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3. Draco of Athens: Death by Gift Suffocation
In 620 BC, theatergoers in Aegina, Greece accidentally killed a man with their affection. Draco of Athens , an ancient lawmaker, was so loved by the Aeginian citizens that they showered him with gifts of appreciation. The citizens threw so many items on him that he ended up smothered by them, suffocated to death by the gifts of his admirers.
Read more: Ancient Origins
