According to the evidence at hand, it appears that during the period spanning from the Old Kingdom through the Libyan Era, institutionally sanctioned ritual violence centered around two main ideas: interference with cultic practices (temple and funerary), and rebellion (both the uprising of conquered enemies rebelling against Egypt's hegemony and the rebellion of actual Egyptians). It seems that while there were many crimes that the ancient Egyptians felt merited capital punishment, and many ways such punishment could be inflicted, most did not include a ritual element. However, it is clear that there were many executions that did include a ritual element, and in many cases it is likely that information conveying a ritual context is unavailable. For now, it can only be concluded that some executions were ritualized and others probably were not. Evidence regarding the forms of punishment that received ritual trappings remains inconclusive.
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