Crime And Punishment In Ancient Egypt

Ancient History of Crime and Punishment

Throughout history, many ancient civilizations have used crime and punishment as a way to keep order within their growing advancements and culture. Merriam Webster defines a crime as “an illegal act for which someone can be punished by the government” (Simple Definition of Crime, Merriam- Webster). This definition of crime has been utilized throughout history as a means of creating laws and punishments to correspond with the rules for various civilizations, nations, and states. History and crime affect one another due to the fact past laws and punishments set precedent for future governments and how they formed their own laws, thus effecting history. As exemplified in the ancient civilizations of Egypt

The Pharaohs were also considered to be “divine [rulers] over [Egypt],” and chosen by “the sun god Re” (The Pharaoh- Man, Ruler, and god). Many factors contributed to the fact that the Pharaohs of Ancient Egypt had a long rein. There were around “31 dynasties [of Pharaohs] over [3000] years” (Ducksters). The success of the Pharaohs long rule is due to many things, one of which is that they established how important they were as they displayed their power. The Ancient Egyptian Pharaohs showed their authority through the harsh punishments for breaking their laws. Their willingness to carry through with such cruel sentences for crimes demonstrated how serious they were about their laws and obedience. Crime and punishment in Ancient Egypt affected history as it helped dynasties of Pharaohs rule for around 3000

While “crime rates in China are [relatively] low, . . . the number of executions . . . is the highest in the world,” which may be due to the history of crime and punishment from Ancient China (InterNations). The exact number of executions per year is kept a secret by the state, but the estimation of executions in China per year is “more than all other countries combines” (InterNations). Although the amount of Crime in present day China is considerable low, the punishments for crimes are still extreme, as seen in the estimated number of amount of deaths. While the crime and punishment in China has evolved over time to become less harsh and extreme, China chooses to use an extreme form of punishment quite often, influenced by its history in punishment of crimes. This statistic does not look like it will change anytime soon, as “support for the death penalty remains high” (InterNations). The death penalty is only used for particularly violent crimes, but due to Ancient China’s use of harsh punishments, the penalty is death as opposed to another form of punishment that is less