Think corruption is a modern disease? Think again. For nearly 4,000 years, kings, priests, and philosophers have wrestled with the same question: what happens when power serves itself? This three-part Rotten&Co series digs into ancient laws, lost empires, and moral manifestos to reveal how early civilizations confronted greed, graft, and the misuse of authority — sometimes with brilliance, sometimes with brutality.

This post is adapted from an academic paper written in 2024.   Introduction      Gender and corruption share a complex spotlight in...