Early Civilization, pages 6-21

Summary:The progress of mankind has been shown through the history of torture and execution. History shows that leaders during tan age of despots and fanatics. During the early civilization deaths seems reasonable and well deserved. Roman and Greek prosecutors were delighted by their cruel methods of execution an. Ancient Egypt's execution consisted pf burial chambers, sacrifices, hangings, beheading, and strangulation. In deaths it was considered vital for the ba to unite with the deceased ka, or spiritual partner, so burning was not an option. The Greeks used the brazen bull, created by a man named Perilaus. The victim was forced to climb into the life size wooden, hallow bull while a fire was lit under the bull's stomach. Another torture device was a wooden effigy of Agepa, this caused the victim to die from strangulation. Romans tortured Christians mainly by mauling them with wild animals. In Biblical times death by stoning was a standard form of punishment in the Mosaic code. Crucifixion was a common form f punishment between the the sixth century B.C. and the fourth century A.D., Romans used torture methods to obtain the truth, they also sawed men in half and stretched limbs.

Quote: "The classical civilizations of Greece and Rome, together with the religious legacies of the Holy land, have shaped much of western society"(Kellaway 6).

Reflection: The methods of torture and execution were very harsh, and painful. This book is hard to read, knowing that these cruel methods were actually used.