Dödsstraff och stympning i det antika Egypten

Sammanfattning: This essay is about capital punishment and mutilation in Ancient Egypt’s pharaonic era. The earlier research has mostly focused on the New Kingdom and later periods, in large part because the textual sources are much clearer from then on. There are however some earlier texts that seem to mention death penalty or mutilation, but correct analysis of these is debatable. Some scholars argue that death penalty certainly was used before New Kingdom, while others claim that this is not the case. These things combined contribute to the lack of knowledge of how these penalties were used. The goal of the present study is to elaborate on how and why the penalties were applied and if they were used before the New Kingdom. This is done by means of analyzing and comparing textual sources from different time periods. The material consists of inscriptions from tombs, stelae and juridical documents such as documentation from tomb robberies and the so-called Harem Conspiracy. The most important findings are that there are indicators, but no tangible evidence, for mutilation or capital punishment being used before New Kingdom. The New Kingdom material is indeed clearer and it is apparent that death penalty, in the form of impaling, was used as punishment for tomb robbery, conspiracy and rebellion against the king and theft from temple. Mutilation of the ears and the nose was used against those who abused their power or their confidence.