Curious Edicts of the Ancient World

In lands of yore, where empires rose,

A myriad of strange laws did impose.

From pharaohs, emperors, kings in might,

Decrees were made both odd and trite.

The Peculiar Laws of Egypt’s Land

In Egypt, land of golden sands,

Pharaohs ruled with iron hands.

For cats were sacred, worshiped high,

To kill one meant you too would die.

The Spartan Code: Strength Supreme

In Sparta, warriors fierce and lean,

Weak infants faced a trial keen.

A babe unfit was cast away,

Only the strong were meant to stay.

The Roman Empire’s Odd Decrees

In Rome, the heart of ancient lore,

Laws bizarre came to the fore.

If debt was owed, a man could choose,

His son or daughter as the dues.

A feast in Rome could go awry,

If eating fish within you’d try.

It was decreed, a strange decree,

That fish indoors could banned be.

Greece’s Unusual Mandates

In Athens, cradle of the wise,

A law about beards did arise.

No man could shave without a plea,

Beards were a mark of dignity.

To speak ill of the city's pride,

Athenians would not abide.

If you insulted bread or cake,

A punishment you’d not forsake.

The Mystical Laws of Mesopotamia

In Babylon, beneath the stars,

A code was carved in clay, not spars.

Hammurabi’s justice stern,

For actions harsh, one would learn.

If a builder's work did fall,

And kill the owner, grim for all,

The builder's fate would match the man’s,

A life for life, as the law commands.

The Celts’ Unique Tradition

Among the Celts, with customs bold,

Strange laws on marriage, often told.

A year and a day a trial phase,

For wedded bliss or separate ways.

China’s Dynastic Decrees

In ancient China’s grand domain,

Edicts strange did sometimes reign.

To name a pig after the king,

A crime severe, dishonoring.

India’s Intricate Edicts

In India’s vast and varied space,

Laws of caste and time and place.

A Brahmin’s word held sacred weight,

To disobey would seal one’s fate.

If a debt was not repaid,

One's wife could be the cost conveyed.

Strange were the edicts, harsh the norms,

Ancient laws in myriad forms.

The Legacy of Ancient Edicts

In these old lands, where power stood,

Laws were crafted, ill or good.

Some were just, while others strange,

Yet all have shaped the human range.

These ancient laws, bizarre yet grand,

Reveal the mind, the ruling hand.

In history's scroll, they still reside,

A testament to human pride.