Scorching: From Marking to Giving Treatment

Since his creation, the human has been concerned with the protection of his life and properties by any means possible such as exploring the surrounding environment, fighting against the threats facing him, and using a variety of tools and instruments. Among these tools was scorching. Scorching has been ever used for two main purposes by the human: marking and treatment. However, one cannot claim with certainty which application was the dominant one. In this study, the author has first dealt with the marking aspect and then with the treatment function. In its former function, scorching was practiced on the body organs of the slaves, enemies, and animals in order to distinguish and take ownership of them, and with criminals as a sign of guilt. In the latter function, it was used, according to some reports, as the last treatment possible for curing different diseases in both humans and animals. The most important therapeutic application of scorching was on wounds to stop bleeding and prevent infection. In the present research, both functions have been examined and classified with reference to the Persian literature, history, and folk culture.