It is not possible to assess the meaning and the impact of the death penalty outside of historical and cultural contexts in which it is applied. An approach, that is also thanatological, seems necessary. In many cases (in ancient, medieval, modern and contemporary history) societies and cultures have been based on taxonomies of values, in which death is not only the worst of evils, but on the contrary is an aspiration. Suicide by proxy, widespread between the 17th and 19th centuries especially in Central and Northern Europe, is a revealing example.