Research Article

Theft from Historical, Cultural, and Legal Perspectives: A Comparative Study of Ancient History and Modern Turkish Criminal Law

Volume: 8 Number: 1 March 25, 2026
TR EN

Theft from Historical, Cultural, and Legal Perspectives: A Comparative Study of Ancient History and Modern Turkish Criminal Law

Abstract

Theft is a significant violation of property rights and has posed a major threat to individuals and society throughout history. Individual losses undermine the concept of property, so theft has always been sought to be prevented to ensure public safety. Even before legal rules, theft was attempted to be prevented through moral regulations. Although there were exceptions, theft has always been considered a serious crime throughout history, as in Ancient Greek Law. Although Spartan boys, who received a purely military education, were taught that stealing what they needed was acceptable, the punishment for theft was death, as Plato advocated. Therefore, since Ancient Greek Law, the act of theft has been considered a crime, as it is today, and has been subject to criminal sanctions. At the same time, it has been considered a shameful act and is subject to legal sanctions. This study attempts to compare the crime of “theft” in Ancient Greek Law, which forms the indirect basis of the Turkish Legal System originating from the European Legal System, with the Modern Turkish Legal System. Our study believes that it provides a good comparison of the Ancient Greek/Roman and Turkish Legal Systems in terms of their origins and modern application. In addition to the legal effects of theft, the study also examines its impact on social ethical values, the concept of justice, and social norms in the pursuit of an ideal legal system. This assessment seeks to reveal the transformation of the values underpinning the idea of punishment over time.

Keywords

References

  1. Aeschylus, Aeschylus (Trans. H. W. Smyth). William Heinemann; G. P. Putnam’s Sons. (Loeb Classical Library). 1922
  2. Apollodorus(a), The Library (Trans. J. G. Frazer). William Heinemann; G. P. Putnam’s Sons. (Loeb Classical Library).1921
  3. Apollodoros(b), Bibliotheka Yunan Mitolojisi. (Trans. N. Nirven). Pinhan Publication. 2017.
  4. Aristophanes(a), Aristophanes II: The Peace, The Birds, The Frogs. Trans. Benjamin Bickley Rogers. William Heinemann; G. P. Putnam’s Sons, (Loeb Classical Library). 1927
  5. Aristophanes(b), Aristophanes III: The Lysistrata, The Thesmophoriazusae, The Ecclesiazusae, The Plutus. (Trans. Benjamin Bickley Rogers. William Heinemann; Harvard University Press. (Loeb Classical Library). 1946.
  6. Aristoteles(a), Problemata Physica. Akkademie-Verlag. 1962.
  7. Aristoteles(b), The Nicomachean Ethics (Trans. H. Rackham). William Heinemann; G. P. Putnam’s Sons. (Loeb Classical Library). 1926.
  8. Demosthenes, Against Meidias, Androtion, Aristocrates, Timocrates, Aristogeiton. William Heinemann. (Loeb Classical Library). 1987.

Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

Old Anatolian History , Classical Greek and Roman History , Ancient History (Other)

Journal Section

Research Article

Publication Date

March 25, 2026

Submission Date

July 26, 2024

Acceptance Date

March 23, 2026

Published in Issue

Year 2026 Volume: 8 Number: 1

APA
Yücebaş, Ç., & Topaloğlu, Y. (2026). Theft from Historical, Cultural, and Legal Perspectives: A Comparative Study of Ancient History and Modern Turkish Criminal Law. OANNES - International Journal of Ancient History, 8(1), 1-18. https://doi.org/10.33469/oannes.1522965

21585     24714
 

OANNES Journal is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. (CC BY NC)
 

Only publications in the fields of Ancient History, Archeology and Ancient Languages and Cultures are accepted in OANNES Journal. Publications sent from other fields are not taken into consideration. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/deed.tr