Juliet Chung: Brief history of debt
The concept of loans has existed since the early days of civilization. Since then, creditors have often come up with creative ways to try to collect their debts. Here is a look at some ancient practices.
In Mesopotamia around 4000 B.C., debtors who defaulted on loans of items like food became indentured servants to creditors. "It was through a consensual relationship on the front end so it's different than slavery," says Jack Williams, a bankruptcy professor at Georgia State University law school -- but it sometimes came close to peonage, or the commitment to work for life.
Creditors in ancient India and Nepal "fasted on" debtors. The creditor would fast on the debtor's doorway until the debt was paid, bringing humiliation to the debtor. If the creditor died, "public opinion would have taken the debtor out and beaten him to death," says Charles Tabb, a University of Illinois law professor who specializes in bankruptcy.
Ancient Egyptians performed elaborate burial rituals to ensure passage to the afterlife, and debtors customarily pledged the body of their nearest deceased relative. In cases of default, the creditor could remove the body and close the tomb to prevent future burials.
Around 1000 B.C., in some North African tribes, failure to pay a creditor was viewed as a sign of dishonesty that affected the entire tribe. The group could then push out the debtor, putting an end to his familial relationships as well as to his protection by the tribe.
In ancient Greece near 600 B.C., defaulting debtors would forfeit their citizenship. "It was sort of the worst possible thing because that was a matter of great pride" to the Greeks, Prof. Tabb says.
Debtors in Rome around A.D. 450 pledged themselves to creditors. Those who didn't pay up could be taken into slavery, and the language of the law suggests the debtor could be carved up into pieces. Scholars debate whether this dismemberment was literal or figurative.
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In Mesopotamia around 4000 B.C., debtors who defaulted on loans of items like food became indentured servants to creditors. "It was through a consensual relationship on the front end so it's different than slavery," says Jack Williams, a bankruptcy professor at Georgia State University law school -- but it sometimes came close to peonage, or the commitment to work for life.
Creditors in ancient India and Nepal "fasted on" debtors. The creditor would fast on the debtor's doorway until the debt was paid, bringing humiliation to the debtor. If the creditor died, "public opinion would have taken the debtor out and beaten him to death," says Charles Tabb, a University of Illinois law professor who specializes in bankruptcy.
Ancient Egyptians performed elaborate burial rituals to ensure passage to the afterlife, and debtors customarily pledged the body of their nearest deceased relative. In cases of default, the creditor could remove the body and close the tomb to prevent future burials.
Around 1000 B.C., in some North African tribes, failure to pay a creditor was viewed as a sign of dishonesty that affected the entire tribe. The group could then push out the debtor, putting an end to his familial relationships as well as to his protection by the tribe.
In ancient Greece near 600 B.C., defaulting debtors would forfeit their citizenship. "It was sort of the worst possible thing because that was a matter of great pride" to the Greeks, Prof. Tabb says.
Debtors in Rome around A.D. 450 pledged themselves to creditors. Those who didn't pay up could be taken into slavery, and the language of the law suggests the debtor could be carved up into pieces. Scholars debate whether this dismemberment was literal or figurative.