Unfortunately, in any society there are both respectable citizens and criminals. Ancient Egypt was no exception. Did you know how you used to be punished for this or that offense. If not, then in this article I will talk about how justice was administered in ancient Egypt.
In those distant times, the main role of justice was played by the cult of Maat - the goddess of truth, law and order. If a person violated this or that rule, it was believed that by doing so he introduced an imbalance in cosmic harmony and thereby harmed everyone around him.
In ancient Egypt, crimes were divided into two main categories
1. Crime against society.
2. Crime against statehood and the Pharaoh.
Absolutely all power was in the hands of the Pharaoh himself, and at first he himself administered the righteous judgment, but over time, the courts developed and Pharaoh took part only in the most high-profile cases.
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Deprivation of life
In ancient Egypt (as in other parts of the world and countries), life is sacred and a person who intentionally took the life of another person was punished with one punishment - the death penalty.
According to Manal Mahmoud Mohamed (researcher of Ancient Egyptian history and author of the work "Crime and Punishment in Ancient Egypt"), already at that time there was a division into unintentional and intentional deprivation of life. And if in court it was proved that everything happened by accident, then the defendant was punished differently.
The perpetrator could not return to his home until he underwent a complete purification procedure and a series of sacrifices in temples. He was also obliged to come to terms with the family deprived of life and the so-called moral compensation was also paid.
In addition, those who knew about the criminal's intention and did not report to the authorities about it were punished. They were punished according to the same principle.
The murder of sacred animals: ibises, cats, etc. was considered an especially grave crime.
Adultery
This type of crime belonged to the category of those committed against spiritual foundations, but was considered as such if it was committed between a man and a married woman.
In ancient texts, the following was written: "If you want to maintain friendship with the one into whose house you entered, then do not approach women and do not go to their half of the house."
The ancient texts say that it was up to the husband himself to punish or not for the betrayal of his wife: punish, forgive, or go to court.
I would like to emphasize that women and men had equal rights with regard to going to court, but at the same time the punishment for women was significantly stricter.
Robbery and theft
If a thief stole from an ordinary resident, then the court awarded a fine two or three times the price of the stolen property. But if the theft of the so-called state property was committed, then in this case the amount of the fine exceeded the amount stolen by 180 times the minimum.
In addition, the thief was punished with 100 punches and took an oath never to do that again.
Corrupt practices
Cases of receiving bribes were very rarely considered by the courts.
If an official was caught taking a bribe, then he was simply stripped of his title and equated with an ordinary peasant.
Treason
The most serious crimes were considered atrocities committed against the pharaoh and the state.
At the same time, the only punishment that was provided for was the death penalty.
Destruction of tombs and temples
The plundering of graves, especially if high-ranking officials were buried there, was also a grave crime, and was also punishable by death.
If sacred animals disappeared from the temples, then the thief, who transferred the stolen animal to a third person, was also deprived of life. If he (the thief) kept it for himself, then he was deprived of his nose.
If other valuable things disappeared from the temple, then the criminal was supposed to be lashed with 100 lashes and a fine was awarded a hundred times more than the cost of the stolen property.
Here are just a few of the crimes and the inevitable punishments for them. If you liked the article, then like it and thank you for your precious attention!
