Brill’s New Pauly

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Punishment, Criminal law
(1,758 words)

[German version]

I. Ancient Near East

The Sumerian-Akkadian terminology regarding punishment and criminal law implies that in Mesopotamia, this was already understood to be a consequence of mischief [1. 77 with note 35], directed either against the divine order [2] or the (state-sanctioned) political and social structures [3]. The same is true of Egypt [4. 68]. There was no distinction between civil and criminal law in the modern sense. The rela…

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Neumann, Hans (Berlin), Römer, Malte (Berlin) and Schiemann, Gottfried (Tübingen), “Punishment, Criminal law”, in: Brill’s New Pauly, Antiquity volumes edited by: Hubert Cancik and , Helmuth Schneider, English Edition by: Christine F. Salazar, Classical Tradition volumes edited by: Manfred Landfester, English Edition by: Francis G. Gentry. Consulted online on 19 March 2024 <http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/1574-9347_bnp_e1123610>
First published online: 2006
First print edition: 9789004122598, 20110510



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