Book contents
- Ancient Legal Thought
- Ancient Legal Thought
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Acknowledgments
- General Introduction
- Maps
- Part A Ancient Mesopotamia and Egypt
- Section I Ancient Procedural Law
- 1 Ancient Legal Reasoning
- 2 Judging, Trials, and Assemblies
- 3 Oaths, Ordeals, and Truth
- Section II Freedom, Equality, and Legal Status
- Section III Crime and Punishment
- Section IV International Justice
- Part B Ancient Greece and China
- Part C India and the Roman Republic
- Part D Rabbinic Law and the Roman Empire
- Part E Final Thoughts
- Bibliography
- Index
3 - Oaths, Ordeals, and Truth
from Section I - Ancient Procedural Law
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 31 May 2019
- Ancient Legal Thought
- Ancient Legal Thought
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Acknowledgments
- General Introduction
- Maps
- Part A Ancient Mesopotamia and Egypt
- Section I Ancient Procedural Law
- 1 Ancient Legal Reasoning
- 2 Judging, Trials, and Assemblies
- 3 Oaths, Ordeals, and Truth
- Section II Freedom, Equality, and Legal Status
- Section III Crime and Punishment
- Section IV International Justice
- Part B Ancient Greece and China
- Part C India and the Roman Republic
- Part D Rabbinic Law and the Roman Empire
- Part E Final Thoughts
- Bibliography
- Index
Summary
In this chapter I will argue that the use of oaths and ordeals in ancient Mesopotamia and Egypt can be understood as aimed at solving the enduring problem of ascertaining whether or not a witness or a party at a trial spoke truthfully.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Ancient Legal ThoughtEquity, Justice, and Humaneness From Hammurabi and the Pharaohs to Justinian and the Talmud, pp. 43 - 58Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2019