Incidents of necrophilia
Necrophilia is a pathological fascination with dead bodies, which often takes the form of a desire to engage with them in sexual activities, such as intercourse. Though prohibited by the laws of many countries, there have been many reported cases of necrophilia throughout history. History. Incidents of necrophilia are noted to have occurred throughout history. Greek author Herodotus (c.484–425 BC) stated in his "Histories" that in Ancient Egypt, bodies of exceptionally beautiful women were not embalmed immediately after their deaths, but only after several days had passed, in order to prevent a recurrence of a case where  it was discovered that an embalmer had raped the body of a recently dead woman. According to the Babylonian Talmud (3rd–5th centuries AD), King Herod of Judea (73/74 BC – 4 BC) desired a certain maiden and, after she killed herself to avoid marrying him, preserved her body in honey for seven years. Some say that he embalmed her in order to have intercourse with her; others say that he did not have intercourse with her. Roman-Jewish historian Flavius Josephus (37 – ), whose works are the main source for Herod's life and character, says nothing about any necrophilia on his  part. Remains of pottery from the Moche civilization represent dead skeletal figures engaged in sexual intercourse with living humans. Gilles de Rais is noted to have sexually violated the dead bodies of his victims. According to criminologist Herschel Prins, it was said that until the 19th century, if a betrothed girl in Central Europe died before her marriage day, the spouse could still carry out the ceremony by copulating with the body. In military conflicts. In the 19th-century Russo-Turkish war, military forces sexually abused dead bodies. During the Moroccan War of 1919–1926, necrophilia was committed by the troops . A Chinese man was killed during the Nanking Massacre, after he refused to have rape dead women. During the Rwandan genocide, sex with dead bodies was reported. Arthur Shawcross, an American serial killer from Rochester, New York, had also practiced necrophilia. Shawcross (also known as the Genesee River Killer) was convicted of 11 murders in November 1990. He claimed to have killed, raped, decapitated, and eaten two Vietcong women during a tour of Vietnam with the 4th Supply and Transport Company of the 4th Infantry Division in 1968, during the Vietnam War. He reportedly also committed necrophilic sexual acts and  mutilations on his victims in Rochester between 1988 and 1989. All but one were prostitutes from the area. Shawcross received two separate life sentences in Monroe County, NY and Wayne County, NY respectively.