2,500-year-old skeleton reveals cruel punishment in ancient China

Thousands of years ago in ancient China, criminals did not simply have to go to jail, but serious crimes could suffer "amputation".

The penalty of amputation applied to people who commit various crimes, such as evasion of duty, theft or lewdness. is often used instead of the death penalty.

This punishment does not only apply to civilians. A study published in the journal Archaeological and Anthropological Science detailed how two men lived during the Zhou Dynasty (1050 - 221 BC) in Henan Province, central China. , had to endure this cruel punishment.

'Excavated evidence shows that punishment by amputation was a well-established process with neat execution techniques, along with post-execution patient care and management to support life and recovery' , said Dr. Qian Wang, co-author of the study.

The excavated graves and skeletons of both men showed that they appeared to have suffered amputation. (Photo: SCMP)

According to reports, the bones show that one man had his right leg amputated and the other his left leg, which may indicate they were convicted of different crimes.

Amputation of the right leg is performed for felonies considered more serious than amputation of the left leg. The research team also speculates that these two people are related.

The excavated bones show signs of a controlled healing process. In addition, the bones also show signs of neat cuts, proving that the punishment was carried out using medical procedures and not repeated blows from weapons.

'After accepting the sentence, these two men could have returned to normal social life and were given a proper burial when they died,' Mr. Qian added.

The two men probably lived around 550 BC, and the man without a right leg is estimated to have died at around 45 years old, while the man without a left leg died at around 55 years old.

They may have lived 'above the peasantry' due to the way they were buried. Researchers, after analyzing historical documents, determined they were likely low-ranking officials or scholars.

The team also looked at other reasons for amputation, such as birth defects, medical treatment or ritual amputation.

However, the researchers found no evidence that other parts of the body had adapted to the congenital defect, nor did they find any evidence of ritual sacrifice.

That means the most likely reason for amputation of these two people's legs is to minimize the spread of disease, treatment after accident or violence.

However, after carefully assessing the injuries and the level of violence, and based on the historical and archaeological context, "the punishment of amputation is the most reasonable."

The research team is also uncertain about the crimes of these two men.

Amputation was one of the cruel punishments that was common in ancient China. (Photo: SCMP).

The punishment of amputation is said to have first appeared in China during the Xia Dynasty (2070 - 1600 BC). Historians analyzed the historical document 'Zhou Li ', and a chapter of the ancient text describes Xia Dynasty punishment including amputation.

These texts are corroborated by remains found at the Erlitou excavation site in the Yellow River Valley.

During the Western Zhou Dynasty, when the two men lived, documented cases of amputation were widely documented and the practice was institutionalized.

"In these two cases, people with amputations survived thanks to systematic coordination between execution and medical care. Their higher-than-normal socioeconomic conditions also helped. nutrition and adapting to new life," Mr. Qian said.

Although there is no historical data to definitively confirm the mortality rate caused by this punishment, Dr. Qian points to evidence that shows a high likelihood of survival for victims.

Research shows that people during the Western Zhou period had some knowledge about painkillers. It seems that people at that time also knew enough about surgery to perform procedures such as ligation of blood vessels, patching wounds and pain relief after execution.

'Since amputation as punishment is a common punishment, it must have an established implementation process along with post-execution management procedures,' Mr Qian said.

The punishment of amputation continued in China in the following centuries before being abolished in 167 BC during the reign of Emperor Wen of Han (180-157 BC) of the Han Dynasty (202 BC - 9 AD).

However, this practice does not appear to have been completely abolished, and a skeleton from the Qing Dynasty (1644 - 1911) was found with both legs amputated.

Other cruel punishments for lesser crimes were also common during the Western Zhou period, including tattooing the word "criminal" on people's faces, and castration or cutting off criminals' noses.