The Arithmetic of Life in Premodern Siam: Ranking and Monetary Value in the Regime of Punishment

Abstract

Penal systems are a reflection of a society and its governance. The laws of pre-modern Siam, as collected in the Three Seals Code, included a law on punishment called Phrommasak. Although this text is applicable to only a narrow range of offences, it seems to have served as a reference point or model for punishment of other offences which today would be labelled as “civil.” The Phrommasak has three striking features: first, it prescribed punishments in the form of money paid as fines and compensation; second, these amounts were calculated to vary greatly according to social status as measured by sakdina; and third, the calculation of these amounts was highly intricate involving several arithmetic formulas, multiple dimensions, and Buddhist concepts. Although the prominent use of fines and the grading by social status can be traced to Indian sources, such as the Arthasastra, the scope and intricacy of the system in the Phrommasak appears to be unique. The Phrommasak reflects the nature of Ayutthaya Siam as a commercial or market society, conscious of its low population, where hierarchies on public display were important in structuring the society.