The Death Penalty has existed long before 2500 BC, when Hammurabi was the first to create written law. Before that time, it’s likely that if a person committed a capital crime, such as murder or theft, they were executed to maintain harmony in the community and to bring solace to those who knew the victim. What defines a capital punishment offense varies per culture, such as horse-stealing being a capital offense in the 1800’s American West, and some of these offenses even define the culture itself.
