Archaeologist Reveals Alternative Penalties in Ancient Egypt

Dr Hussein Bassir, an archaeologist and director of Antiquities’ Museum in the Great Library of Alexandria, said that the Ancient Egyptians were among the first peoples with glorified values of right and justice.

They respected honesty and law. They built their civilization on the stable cosmos system.

Since her early history, Egypt has practiced and knew truth, justice, right, law and system along the stable cosmos system and abstract and material values based on absolute concepts and their positive factors.

The Ancient Egyptians believed in a deity with special nature and dignified characters. They called that deity “ Ma’at” which means literally either truth or justice. They considered that deity daughter of Rae, God of the Sun.

They showed that deity as a woman spreads justice according to its general definition, sitting or standing with a feather adhered to its head to symbolize fairness of the ruling and absolute justice. It holds the “ankh” –which means life at all public and private fields - a sign to her right hand. This means that life would not go straight without justice.

Ma’at bore mace in its left hand which indicates the righteous rule, legitimacy, the rule of law and sanctity of honesty. Ma’at embodies many moral and basic values set by the main gods who founded and protected Ancient Egypt.

Those gods tasked the Egyptian king, as their son and representative on the earth, to apply Ma’at as a whole cosmos system which the political and economic systems rest on and orbit around it.

The Kings-Pharaohs set their state on Ma’at as their righteous guide.

This was of the most important factors of success, distinguishing and flourishing of state in Ancient Egypt. The king and his aides such as the minister, the army generals, governors of the districts, judges rule on behalf of gods through Ma’at.

Justice has a very important sense in Ancient Egypt.

It was an inseparable part of society and its culture. Law was the base of life as Egypt was known for legitimacy and the rule of law. The Ancient Egyptian considered the court’s decisions have the deepest effect on society .

Criminal would be punished and those being hurt must be aided. Best men were appointed as judges in Ancient Egypt.

Kings were responsible for all legal affairs and they sometimes issued directives with judiciary context.

The minister (worked under the king) and chaired the strong bureaucratic apparatus. He also headed the judiciary system in Ancient Egypt. The king and the minister authorized governors and minor officials to act as judges and rulers.

Some later Demotic texts point out that administration applied alternative penalties instead of applying law literally. Judges forced convicted people to do public services to the state such as public works and state buildings. Those duties were considered as alternative of penalties to serve both the state and the criminals. This led to increase and growth of the public works being carried out in shorter time.

Ma’at was the shining face.

Meanwhile, Isfet was the darkened face that indicates chaos. The story of civilization in Ancient Egypt is linled to Ma’at but anarchy was linled to Isfet. The two concepts struggle fiercely on the land of the Pharaohs throughout history of Egypt.

Contributed by Ahmed Maomar