Thieves’ section

The last section of the Laws of the Land is the Thieves’ section, which defines theft and describes how to hold thieves accountable. It describes procedures for accusations, claims and summons, pursuit and ransacking, arrest, detention, trial, and punishment. If, for example, thieves were caught in the act, they were to be brought to the king’s representative with the loot tied on their back. It is emphasized that a thief’s punishment should be meted out according to the circumstances. Whoever stole food when hungry, because they could not find work to support themselves, was to escape punishment. Fines were the most common form of punishment, but whoever stole much or frequently risked the death penalty. Several concrete examples of what counted as theft are given: stealing vegetables and fruits, milking other people’s cows, stealing cats and dogs, snatching knives and belts, abducting hawks, moving boundary stones, etc. A person who was accused of theft could try to exonerate themselves by swearing an oath of innocence. The Thieves’ Section describes how oaths were to be sworn and how many people should take an oath along with the accused to strengthen the oath. The size of a fine and the seriousness of a crime determined how many witnesses were needed. The law also described how individuals who took false oaths were to be punished.