The harsh punishments of the ancient Egyptians

If an Egyptian stole an animal, he would be punished with 100 lashes and five stabs in the back before being allowed to return to work.

A painting depicting a scene of punishment in ancient Egypt. Photo: Akhepedia.com.

From human skeletons buried in a civilian cemetery in Amarna, Minya, Egypt, researchers deduced that five men with wounds on their shoulder bones were punished. According to USA Today, a wall carving depicted punishment for stealing animal skins, but the research team was unsure whether this actually occurred.

The crimes committed by these men, as well as their identities, remain unclear. If the stab wounds on their shoulders were a punishment, they may have had to return to work immediately afterward. These builders were brought to Amarna approximately 3,300 years ago to construct the massive temples and palaces for King Akhenaten.

Archaeologist Gretchen Dabbs of Southern Illinois University and her colleagues are studying skeletons unearthed from the Amarna cemetery. They discovered that builders in ancient Egypt endured food shortages and arduous labor.

Commoners buried in the cemetery had a high incidence of arthritis, most likely a consequence of carrying heavy loads. Their skeletons also showed signs of diseases related to starvation, such as vitamin C deficiency.

The research team noted that some of the skeletons had long, deep wounds on the shoulder blades, as if someone had stabbed them from behind. These did not resemble wounds from falls or combat.

In ancient times, some Egyptians were executed for various crimes, including grave robbing. Some were beaten, had their noses, ears, hands, or tongues cut off. According to Facts on File, adulterous women had their noses cut off to disfigure them, so they would not be able to repeat the offense.

Similar to other ancient civilizations, women in ancient Egypt were punished more severely than men. A man who committed adultery with a married woman only received 1,000 lashes. However, if he raped a woman who was a citizen, he would be castrated.

Scientists have yet to find a common legal code in ancient Egypt, but punishments are documented in funeral records, handwritten trial transcripts, and other papers. Dabbs suggests that the shoulder stabbing punishment may have been common only in Amarna.

According to VietNamnet