Inthelate16thcenturyEuropewasinthegripofaferociouswitchhunt,wherethousandsweretorturedandburntatthestake.ThechurchwasfullybehindthisterrifyingcrusadeagainsttheimaginaryenemiesofChristianity.InFranceandGermanyaloneupto40,000peoplemayhavebeenkilledaswitches.ButEnglandandScotlandwerealmostuntouchedbywitchpersecutionsuntilKingJameshimselfdecidedtolaunchhisown,personalwaronwitchcraftddd In1597KingJamesVIofScotlandpublished'Daemonology',ahandbookonhowtorecogniseanddestroy,witches.Thebookexploredthethreatthat'thoseDetestableslavesoftheDevil',posedtoJameshimself.ItfuelledwavesofwitchhuntingthroughoutBritain. ThelegacyofJames''Daemonology'continuedthroughoutthe17thcentury,andledtothetortureandexecutionofhundredsofwomeninaseriesofinfamouswitchtrials.No-oneknowsexactlyhowmanymenandwomendiedinthesetrials,suchasthePendletrialof1612,orhowmanyotherswerekilledincasesthatnevercametocourt.ThedocumentaryrevealsthepurgesinmanyareasofBritaindrewdirectlyonKingJames'book.Alsoforthefirsttime,remarkablenewarchaeologicalevidencefromCornwall,suggeststhatwitchcraftwasactivelypracticedforcenturies,evenduringthemostintenseperiodsofwitch-hunting.ExperimentalarchaeologistJacquiWoodhasexcavatedstrangepitslinedwithswan'sfeathers,andfilledwithanimalskinsandhumanremains.Shebelievesthepitswereritualofferingsinspiredbywitchcraftbeliefs.
2023-03-24 23:40:07，最后更新于 2年前
