Crime+and+Punishment

Benito Otiniano s.s 1/ 16/12

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Essay for Government & law and order of Ancient Egypt

The law of Egypt was a grand achievement created by the Egyptian people. It was fully organized and had 9 government branches, first consisting of the king as the head of the whole legal system. The laws were different in different regions; such as upper and lower Egypt. People believed that the king created the world and was chosen to create Maat. Maat is order, truth, and justice. The viziers were next of the branches and the rest were paramilitary type. Viziers were people whom had the responsibility of justice and public work. Law was based on the common sense view of right and wrong. This is how law worked in Ancient Egypt.

Crime and felonies are always going to be committed in great civilizations, no matter how successful it is (depending on government). **Egyptian religion bodies were buried in tombs to keep their spirits safe, especially for the upper class people, who had riches.** **Many people saw that they can steal the treasures.** Soon after, tomb robbing became common in each dynasty of Egypt. Also the danger of night scared many people in many cities. Murder happened often, but not always. The Medjay guards were relied to trace down criminals, which was a solution to catch criminals. These were common crimes in Ancient Egypt.

If there are crimes there will be punishment in a civilization. Punishment in Egypt was done so by what a person did to another. The punishment system ranged from small felonies to big felonies. Many things have happened such as; mutilation of body parts, beatings (consisting of the executioner whipping you), **//exile was common//**, death, discrimination of your name, and forced labor. Great punishment was given to those whom commit a crime against the state. Thankfully most of these punishments are not executed in our society.

As history teaches us that the one with power is the one who is superior to the inferior. In ancient Egypt those same principals apply. Peasants were disrespected in court, and avoided court whenever possible. Even though peasants were mistreated, that did not stop them from going to court. Justice for people was not thought of being the prerogative of the rich and the power, even though it was. It was rare that a peasant won a case against a upper class resident, but //The tale of the Eloquent Peasant// proved that a peasant can defend himself/herself in civil law.

Egyptian laws reflected Greek law, then Roman law, then present day law. To find how law worked in ancient Egypt, historians found documents in temples, which were recorded to see what crimes were committed by someone. Thankfully Egyptian created this marvelous achievement and we give thanks of that.

Gil, Harvey. //Ancient Egypt.// T.G.H. James. //Pharaoh’s People.// New York: Tauris Parke paperbacks, 2003. Nancy, Day. //Your Travel Guide to Ancient Egypt.// Minneapolis: Runes tone Press, 2001. Geraldine, Harris. //Cultural Atlas for young People: Ancient Egypt.// Oxford, England: Equinox ltd, 1990. Andrews, Mark. “Law and the Legal System in Ancient Egypt.” //TourEgypt.net. 1/10/12.// <http://[|www.Touregypt.net/feauturestories/law.htm] http://wwb w.ancientegyptianfacts.com/ancient-egyptian-legal-system-1.jpg