Justice in Ancient Egypt
This talk will provide an introduction to the legal system of Ancient Egypt, covering both its ideology and its practice. Particular attention will be paid to the concepts of sdm (“listening”) and wdᶜ-mdw (“dividing words”), which are both central to Ancient Egyptian court procedure. The talk will also address the functions of different types of court, the place of Maat in the legal framework, and the possibility of foreign influence on the legal system. Case studies will be drawn from all periods of Egyptian history prior to the end of the New Kingdom, from 5th Dynasty Memphis to 20th Dynasty Deir el-Medina.
About Alexandre Loktionov
Alex Loktionov is currently working on an AHRC-funded PhD in Egyptology at Robinson College, Cambridge. He is also a 2017 IPS Doctoral Fellow at the Library of Congress, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, and a recipient of the Thomas Young Medal for “outstanding distinction in Oriental Archaeology”. He was trained as an Archaeologist at Selwyn College, Cambridge, and subsequently completed an MPhil in Egyptology at St. John’s College, Cambridge. Alex’s main area of interest is Ancient Egyptian justice, with a focus on the evolution of court procedure during the third and second millennia BCE.