Crime and Punishment in Pharaonic Egypt.

In ancient Egypt crimes are acts against other persons or the state. Punishments are official, not private sanctions against persons who committed crimes. The term for “crime” is bt3. A capital crime is bt3 ‘3 (n mwt), “great crime” (worthy of death).

Egyptian sources for crimes and punishments are extremely diverse but are primarily texts such as royal decrees, administrative texts, such as court proceedings, and private texts, including biographies or letters. Most legal texts are from the Ramesside period (Dynasties 18-20), which makes comparison with other times difficult. A written criminal law code does not exist.

Crimes against the state, or better, the king, comprise treason, lese majesty, and desertion. Crimes against other human beings include killings, injuries, adultery and rape, robbery and theft.

There is no Egyptian word for “treason,” only paraphrases such as “great crime worth of death,” “great abomination of the country,” or “abomination of all gods.” The best-known case of treason is the harem conspiracy against king Ramses III, which aimed to raise a prince to the throne.

The mummy of pharaoh Ramesses III. G. Elliot Smith. The Royal Mummies. Le Caire: Imprimerie de L’institut Francais D’archeologie Orientale, 1912.

Although the king was murdered by the cutting of his throat, the plot failed, a special tribunal was established, and the culprits punished. The worst culprits were sentenced to death; others were allowed to commit suicide. Others were sentenced to have their nose and ears cut off.

A case of treason unrelated to the harem is directed against the Theban high priest Osorkon, the later king Osorkon III of the 23rd dynasty. Osorkon himself kills the captured perpetrators on the spot and burns the corpses. A judicial trial does not take place.

There is no direct evidence for cases of lese majesty and its punishment. According to a court protocol from Deir el-Medineh near Thebes dating to the Ramesside Period, a worker is accused of having insulted the king but his punishment is unknown.

Only one text provides direct information about desertion. The 26th dynasty official Ns-Ḥr relates in his biography that foreign mercenaries deserted, but that he brought them back to the king, who massacred them on the spot.

Various crimes of killing are not distinguished in Egyptian language. “To kill” is sm3, later ẖdb. Nearly all evidence stems from the end of the New Kingdom and the beginning of the Third Intermediate Period, a time of social and political unrest. Despite the number of cases no punishment for murder is known, although the death penalty is likely.

Mummies and skeletons provide some evidence for killings and even murder. A skeleton of a woman in Abydos reveals she was stabbed in the back with a blade. A mummy head found in Thebes also shows that the man was struck dead with an instrument while lying down sleeping or unconscious.

Evidence for the crime of causing injuries and its punishment is relatively ample and dates mainly to the Ramesside Period. The Egyptian word is nearly without exception qnqn. Diverse sentences are mentioned in texts such as corporal punishments as flogging or forced labor. The injured person receives no compensation. The use of force was, however, not sanctioned throughout. Force against dependent persons and children was seen not only legitimate but necessary to maintain order.

Egyptians did not clearly distinguish between adultery and rape as we do. In earlier times nk meant “to have intercourse,” but in the New Kingdom I became “to commit adultery.” A separate word for rape cannot be made out.

In cases where the initiative to commit adultery was taken by the man, the punishment is unknown. One papyrus mentions that a man standing trial had to swear an oath to have his nose and ears cut off and be sent into exile in Nubia if he met the woman again. Later he swears not to meet her, on penalty of being sent to the quarry at Elephantine.

But if a woman initiates adultery that leads to divorce or repudiation, she loses her bride price and remains without means. Adultery is also a topic of narratives and especially of didactic literature; men are warned not to have intercourse with married women and one or both persons involved are threatened with death.

In sum, intercourse with a married woman was considered a crime regardless of whether the man was married or not. The key issue was the offence against the woman’s husband. The rights of the woman herself were irrelevant along with whether intercourse was voluntary or forcible. This is also why adultery and rape were not distinguished. Rape was only a crime when the woman was married.

The vocabulary for “to steal” is varied, and many cases of theft and punishment have come down to us. Theft of private property, especially items of daily life, is frequently mentioned in Ramesside texts. The penalty consists of paying double or triple the value of the object stolen to the harmed person, in addition to the stolen object.

Theft of temple property is addressed in royal decrees and punished much harder. It may be payment of a hundred times the value of the stolen item, beatings, or in extreme cases the death penalty. Sanctions for theft of ordinary state property are not clear.

A special problem that occurred widely is plundering of tombs, those of ordinary people as well as of kings, known both from archaeological evidence and texts. Plundering private tombs does not seem to have been punished. Instead, tombs were secured by threat formulae.

Evidence for plundering royal tombs derives from the so-called Tomb Robbery Papyri from the times of the kings Ramses IX and XI, one passage in which indicates the crime was punished by the death penalty.

Comments

During World War II, millions of people were sent to concentration camps, including women.

During World War II, millions of people were sent to concentration camps, including women. Women in concentration camps were subjected to brutal treatment and often faced more severe conditions than their male counterparts. The conditions in the camps were inhumane, and women were often subjected to forced labor, starvation, and medical experiments.Women were treated differently in concentration camps than men. They were often separated from their families, forced to perform hard labor, and subjected to sexual abuse. Women who were pregnant were also subjected to harsh conditions and medical experimentation. Many women were killed, either as part of the genocide or because they were deemed too weak to continue working. One of the most notorious concentration camps where women were held was Auschwitz-Birkenau. There, women were subjected to forced labor, starvation, and medical experimentation. Many were killed in gas chambers or through other forms of execution. The camp was design

Holocaust Concentration Camps Liberated - Color Photos (Caution).

Holocaust Concentration Camps Liberated - Color Photos (Caution). Can you imagine coming across one of these death camps, or worse, having been held prisoner in one? Over 400,000 Americans died during World War II fighting Adolf Hitler and the other Axis powers. During the Allied victory in Europe concentration camps were liberated, which was a shocking sight for even for the most battle-hardened soldiers. Photojournalists documented what was found in these camps so that there would be visual evidence for the world to see what happened. The following images were all originally done in black and white but have recently been colorized by various individuals. The colorization process makes the images much more life-like. Caution, some of the images are graphic, particularly the latter ones.

Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani will not be stoned to death - for the time being

Iran's judiciary has said that the stoning sentence for a woman convicted of adultery will not be carried out – for now. But the fate of Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, which has generated huge international concern, remains uncertain. Malek Ajdar Sharifi, the senior judicial official in East Azerbaijan province, where the mother-of-two was convicted, told the Irna state news agency yesterday the sentence "will not be implemented for the time being." Ajdar Sharifi added that the sentence would still be carried out if the judiciary wanted, despite protests from the west. Mohammadi Ashtiani's crimes were "various and very serious" and not limited to adultery, he insisted. "Although the verdict is definitive and applicable, it has been halted due to humanitarian reservations and upon the order of the honourable judiciary chief." Mohammadi Ashtiani, 43, was found guilty of having an "illicit relationship" with two men in 2006 but her lawyer and

The great execution

158 Years Ago This December The Largest Mass Hanging Execution in US History Occurred At The Hand of The Evil President Abraham Lincoln The execution was signed off by President Abraham Lincoln the day after Christmas At 10:00 am on December 26th 1862, 38 innocent Natives of the Dakota Sioux prisoners were led to a large hanging scaffold specially constructed for their execution. One Dakota sentenced to hang was given a reprieve at the last minute. An estimated 4,000 spectators crammed the streets of Mankato Minnesota and surrounding land to witness this horrific event that was glorified by the US Government. The native people were allowed reservations which was their own sovereign lands and nation; the United States has made agreements through treaty agreements that allowed the native people to utilize the land as their own. After months of making these treaty agreements, the USA allowed hunters onto tribal lands where they were met with armed natives. They were either removed

THE EXECUTION OF PAUL BLOBEL

The bodies were literally in layers. A police shooter advanced by firing a submachine gun in the neck of each of the extended people. As soon as they were stripped naked, the Jews were brought in [Babi Yar]. They were channeled through two or three narrow passages, which led to the bottom of the ravine . As soon as they arrived down, the Schutzpolizei agents grabbed them and forced them to lie down on the Jews already shot. Everything happened very quickly. The bodies were literally in layers. A police shooter advanced by firing a submachine gun in the neck of each of the extended people. The victims arrived so upset by the horrifying scene that they no longer had any willpower. As soon as he had killed one, the shooter, walking on the body of the shot, proceeded to the next one, which in the meantime had stretched out on the ground, and shot him. It went on like this, uninterruptedly, without any distinction between men, women and children. The children stayed with their

In 1999 a female corpse with black objects on its feet was unearthed in Heilongjiang (China).

In 1999 a female corpse with black objects on its feet was unearthed in Heilongjiang (China). Experts revealed her tragic experience: was she buried alive? For more than 200 years, a woman's skin, muscles, and joints remained intact. This female body was in the coffin, with a distorted posture and open mouth. Although it has become a mummy, it is not difficult to see that its expression is in great pain. The mummy was about 164 cm, the whole body was black as coal, and the placenta was not removed from the mummy before dying. The placenta was attached to the buttocks. Looking closer, the left hand and foot are mutilated. According to the archaeological team, it was a young woman in her 25s from the mummy's face and bones. According to Chinese tradition, the person who dies before being buried is cleaned and straightened by the limbs. The Mystery of the Cause of Death: Did you die of chronic poisoning or difficult childbirth? When the female mummy was found, her skin was still y

Brought to the Scaffold": Pepys, Smith, and Voltaire on Public Executions

In early October of 1660, the diarist Samuel Pepys got up in the morning and headed out to Charing Cross to spend a pleasant day with friends and to see Major-general Harrison hanged, drawn, and quartered; which was done there, he looking as cheerful as any man could do in that condition. He was presently cut down, and his head and heart shown to the people, at which there was great shouts of joy. It is said, that he said that he was sure to come shortly at the right hand of Christ to judge them that now had judged him; and that his wife do expect his coming again. Thus it was my chance to see the King beheaded at White Hall, and to see the first blood shed in revenge for the blood of the King at Charing Cross. From thence to my Lord’s, and took Captain Cuttance and Mr. Sheply to the Sun Tavern, and did give them some oysters. I think one of the hardest things for the 21st century to understand about earlier eras is how it was possible for perfectly normal people to go see a man ha

When The Judge Learned Their Secret, He Said Something That Made Them Cry Like Babies...

Their crimes were horrific. Two teenagers, Jacob Muzon (17) and Drake Campbell (18), were charged with murder, attempted murder, burglary, and armed robbery. They sat silently in court as the judge decided whether or not to grant bail. However, it was not the judge’s decision that triggered an unexpected reaction, but the two teens who began to sob when they realized the seriousness of their situation. Just two of a five-man group, these two South Carolina teens were suspects in a grisly home invasion and murder in the quiet community of Huger. For one teen, trouble seemed to follow the family. Drake Campbell’s older brother, Kenneth, was also involved in the incident and had pleaded guilty to manslaughter charges only a year prior. To say these boys were trouble would be an understatement. In the days prior to the boys appearing in front of the judge, Jacob Muzon’s mother pleaded for mercy. His sister even spoke on his behalf, claiming that Jacob was her best friend and he had simply

Firing Squad to Gas Chamber: How Long Do Executions Take?

Utah brought back the firing squad this week as a backup execution method, with some proponents saying it’s the fastest and most humane way of killing condemned inmates in an era when lethal injections have dragged on as long as two hours. “It’s the only method we have in this country for which people are trained to kill,” said Fordham Law Professor Deborah Denno, an expert on capital punishment. “It appears the death is the quickest.” Last summer, a federal judge wrote in an opinion that firing squad should probably replace the needle as the U.S. execution method — even though he thought another was more foolproof. “The guillotine is probably best, but seems inconsistent with our national ethos,” Judge Alex Kozinski of the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals wrote. With states considering alternatives from the electric chair to the gas chamber, here’s a look at how long it takes to kill a condemned inmate with each method: Popularized during the French Revolution as a humane alternati

THE TERRIBLE EXECUTION OF CLIFFORD GODFREY WILLS FOR A CASE OF OVERKILL...

31 year old Clifford Wills had served in the army during World War II and after demob in 1945 worked as an electrician but was unemployed in 1948. He was having an affair with a 32 year old married woman, Sylvina May Parry who lived with her husband 36 year old John and 14 year old son, Anthony, at 11 Wayfield Crescent in Pontnewdd, a suburb of Cwmbran, South Wales. On Tuesday the 8th of June 1948, John Parry had gone off to his job as a furnace man at G.K.N. as usual. He was on afternoon shift, working 2 p.m. - 10 p.m. and when he got home was surprised to find his wife was not there. He went for a walk round the village in search of her but returned home without finding any trace. The following morning he reported her missing to Sgt. Daniel Plummer. He then went home where he discovered Sylvina’s body hidden under the spare bed in the small box room. He went and told Sgt. Plummer who then initiated a murder investigation. A thorough search of the house revealed bloody footpri

KNOW YOUR WORLD (past and present)

Search This Blog