A Comparative Study of the Crime of witchcraft in Ancient Religions and regimes (Criminalization and reactions)

The historical study of the crime of witchcraft in ancient times reveals the historical roots of the criminalization of this behavior. It also determines the type of punishment and its feedback in societies, responsibilities and the ruling procedure in ancient religions and regimes. While recognizing the social contexts of crime, the reasons for its discontinuity throughout history are revealed. In this study, by studying the ancient laws and examining the articles of different laws, while briefly stating the criminal law prevailing at that time, regarding the crime of witchcraft in a centralized manner, the reactions of ancient religions and regimes and why and how criminalization It is checked. The ancient religions and regimes studied include laws attributed to the ancient regimes of Mesopotamia, ancient Iran, Egypt, Rome, Greece, Judaism, and Manichaeism in India. Non-social use of magic has been condemned in ancient times and has been banned by various ancient religions and ethnicities and punishable by death. Despite the fact that the punishment for witchcraft is not stated in some laws, the death penalty for witches is still conceivable at that time. They were often punished for their ignorance of the surrounding sciences and phenomena and for creating panic among the people, and sometimes for the actions of witches, which were a sign of unbelief, impiety, and blasphemy.