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Catherine Hackett – Classical Mediterranean History A Hammurabi essay With sophisticated civilizations growing rapidly, and the trade of writing becoming more and more common, there was great need for a set of rules in societies. People needed to be protected, and so Hammurabi, the leader of Ancient Babylon from 1792-1750 BCE, decided to create a law code for the land. He tried creating laws that would protect the weaker groups, and to help their society to grow stronger over time. For thousands of years before, civilization had been a lawless thing, in which there were no written rules, resulting in a large amount of adversities. Hammurabi’s purpose was to help his city become less barbaric, and become more powerful as a community. The …show more content…
It encompassed a vast amount of subjects, people and classes, and made sure everyone was relatively safe and equal. The code allowed for justice to be promoted throughout Hammurabi’s rule, and although it used many harsh punishments as solutions, it was the ancient equivalent of the justice system we have today. It gave a sense of direction and advocated for people to be more loyal, for example, in law 22 Hammurabi says, “If a man has perpetrated brigandage, and has been caught, that man shall be slain.”[10] Again, while this can seem overly severe to many, in that time, it was the only way to make all citizens cooperate. With rigid laws in place, Hammurabi could be certain that nobody would break them, and if they did, he was able to set an austere example for others. Another concern in Ancient Babylon was keeping a man’s children in his bloodline; making adultery an abominable crime. Law 129 clearly reminds them, and reads, “if the wife of a man is found lying with another male, they shall be bound and thrown into the water…”[11] Nearly every misdemeanor possible came with a relentless punishment, promoting peace throughout all of Babylon. Hammurabi’s Law Code was promoted justice and stability for minorities like women, children, and low classes, to an extent that seems exceptionally prodigious looking back on it from modern times.
[1] The Search for Justice in Mesopotamia: The judgments of Hammurabi in The Human Record: Sources of Global History, Volume I to 1700, ed. Alfred J. Andrea and James H. Overfield (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2009), 15. [2] Ibid.
[3] Ibid.
[4] Ibid.
[5] Ibid.
[6] Ibid.,16
[7] Ibid.,14
[8] Ibid.
[9]
Who decided what was right or wrong and how order would be made in ancient societies? There couldn 't have just been a constitution that everyone followed in the beginning of time. People of ancient times must have come to some agreement to keep everyone well governed to prevent chaos and destruction to society. While undefined, I believe that most theorists addressed social order by defining social rules and ways of living that were believed to be fair for all. Such theorists as Aristotle, Hammurabi and Machiavelli were some of the many who had their own opinions on how the believed, “Government” per-say was created and how it should be ran.
Throughout the world, people consider The Code of Hammurabi one of the most important codes of law ever recorded in the history of the world based on what it tells us about the history of early Babylon. The code gives people a way to see not only how the society of Babylon developed early on but also how other civilizations were developing complex societies, which were similar to the Babylonians. However, the code also shows us how the role of written documents and writing is effectively portrayed in Hammurabi’s laws. This is effectively observed by analyzing what types of documents the code provides evidence for, what are situations and reasons in which Babylonians used writing, and if writing is the only acceptable form of proof. The Code of Hammurabi is one of the most important codes ever recorded because it shows us evidence of early principles of justice, which provide proof for early legal documentation; gives us observable, physical proof of the Babylonian beliefs for future people to witness; and shows us how written works are the only acceptable form of proof because of the historical accuracy of the work.
Although King Hammurabi’s laws were written and enacted thousands of years ago, their themes and messages can most definitely resonate with today’s society due to excellence in the simplicity of their codes and overall strong adherence to morality. King Hammurabi helped to set a judicial precedence in governance through his rules and allocated consequences. A similarity that the government and corresponding code of laws that the United States and ancient Mesopotamia share is their ability to unify a mass group of people through legislation. Like Hammurabi’s code, the federal government of the United States links all fifty states together through its consistent and uniform legislation that is applied equally to each citizen. Such similarities with modern government highlight the lasting effects that Hammurabi’s code of laws have upheld throughout history.
The code of Hammurabi was the first set of written laws to have been created. There were a collection of 282 laws which were recorded. Hammurabi states in his codes the reason for his laws. As stated in The Making of the West by Hunt, "to show Shamash that he had fulfilled the social responsibility imposed on him as a divinely installed monarch" (p.16). This meant that Hammurabi clearly felt that he was accountable for the justice and morals of his people, and that they should abide by them. One of the major points of the moral code included equal punishment under the same class. Code 196 states "If a noble man puts out the eye of another noble man, his eyes shall be put out." This clearly implies that the equal punishment law was severely followed by the Babylonians. Another important point was how woman were of lesser importance compared to men. Code 132 states how if a woman is not caught sleeping with another man she should jump in the water for the sake of her husband. This shows how woman were expected to be faithful and follow by their husbands side. While, if a man was to create adultery with his daughter he would only be exiled. The making of the West by Hunt states "A wife could divorce her husband for cruelty; a husband could divorce his wife for any reason" (p.16). This evidently shows how indisputably biased Hammurabi was towards woman in that society. Slaves' conducts and rules were also listed in the codes. They had absolutely no rights at all, even if they were to be killed by another being.
Hammurabi is best known for his succession in writing down the first complete set of laws, titled Hammurabi’s Code. He strived as a king to bring protection, fairness, and justice to the weak of society using laws from the God of justice, Shamash. Hammurabi’s Code was written on a large stone pillar called a stele. In addition to writing a set of 282 laws, he expanded the territory of Babylon northward and westward, encouraged agriculture, and oversaw the erection of many buildings and temples. One may argue that since Hammurabi changed and eliminated some of the laws before he published the complete set, he was changed by the times. However, revising some of the laws was necessary to ensure the best protection and fairness for the people. Overall, King Hammurabi laid the foundation for the laws that we have today and his legacy continues on in our justice
Overall, the Hammurabi’s Code of Laws showed that crimes in Mesopotamia were followed by severe punishments. Very often these punishments were death penalty. The laws were not equal between social classes, and slaves were subjected to the harsher punishments than free-born.
In the ancient times Babylonian king, Hammurabi, formed his code of laws, in the year 1750 BC. The code of Hammurabi consisted of 282 laws that were engraved in stone; this made the King believe the laws came directly from the sun god. Unlike earlier laws the code was written in Akkadian language, which was the common language of Babylon. The purpose of the code was to use governmental authority to make common bonds among the people of the Babylonian society.
The Code of Hammurabi was written by King Hammurabi, who began ruling the Babylonian Empire in about 1800 BC. Hammurabi came to power using his strengths as a military leader, conquering many smaller city-states to create his Empire. Hammurabi believed that the gods appointed him to bring justice and order to his people, and he took this duty very seriously. Not long after his ascent to power, he created his Code, 282 laws written to define all relationships and aspects of life in the kingdom. The laws were displayed in a public place so that all the people could have the opportunity to study them. The laws applied to everyone, though application of the laws and punishment differed according to social class. The punishments for disobeying the laws were swift and harsh, further encouraging compliance.
To conclude my speech today, Hammurabi was the sixth king of Babylon (Hammurabi). He was a successful military leader and ruler that concentrated on building defensive protection, establishing a basis of law and order, and specializing irrigation. Hammurabi is arguably most remembered for his code of the laws governing Babylonian life. The Code of Hammurabi consists of 282 laws ranging from divorce, property and inheritance, and fairness in commercial exchanges (Code of Hammurabi: Ancient Babylonian Laws). Punishment and severity varied within social structure. “It symbolizes not only the rise of justice in the minds of men, but also man’s rise above ignorance and barbarism toward the peaceful and just societies that we still pursue today” (EAWC Anthology: Hammurabi's Code of Laws).
One of the most important aspects of any society is the ruling system. A society simply could not function without any sort of rules or regulations. With the tremendous growth of Babylonian society came the need for law systems. Perhaps one of the most well known law systems was Babylonian ruler Hammurabi’s compilation of Mesopotamian laws known as Hammurabi 's Code. Hammurabi 's Code contained laws pertaining to trade, marriage, property, crime, social class, and more (Judge and Langdon, 25). So much can be learned about early societies through this famous artifact. Although these laws may have been accepted by the Babylonian citizens at the time, it is now clear to see that the code was extremely unjust. Hammurabi 's Code uncovers the social
The Hammurabi Code is the oldest and most comprehensive set of laws in the world. The 282 laws set the structure for the civilization of Mesopotamia. Hammurabi, who was the sixth king of Mesopotamia, created these laws for a sense of order and peace. However, when investigating these laws further, they seem unfair and unjust for many reasons. People would be punished differently based on their class status. The punishments were harsher towards the freemen, rather than slaves. Although the Hammurabi Code worked to keep order and justice, discrimination existed between slaves and freemen, men and women, and adults and children.
THE CODE OF HAMMURABI History of design VACD201 Hala Al Saadi – 143148 The Code of Hammurabi was one of the soonest and most total composed legitimate codes, announced by the Babylonian ruler Hammurabi, who ruled from 1792 to 1750 B.C. Hammurabi extended the city-province of Babylon along the Euphrates River to join all of southern Mesopotamia. The Hammurabi code of laws, an accumulation of 282 tenets, sets up norms for business communications and sets fines and disciplines to meet the prerequisites of equity. Hammurabi's Code was cut onto an enormous, finger-molded dark stone stele (column) that was plundered by intruders lastly rediscovered in 1901. Hammurabi was the 6th ruler in the Babylonian tradition, which led in focal Mesopotamia (display day Iraq) from c. 1894 to 1595 B.C. Hammurabi's Code: An Eye for an Eye: "An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth."
The Hammurabi Code and Mosaic Law were used to lead their people during two different era. They were similarities and differences, between the two. For example, they were both discovered by their leaders in similar ways, but differed in their approach to justice and morality. Hammurabi Code respects women, but has distinct social class and penalties based on the class you belonged to, while the Mosaic Law had no distinction between people and gave everybody even fairness.
After the Commercial Law came the Penal Law. This had to do with the issue of crime. The laws were unusually harsh do to their ineducation. Despite this the wealthy class usually enjoyed more freedom from the law than the lower classes. There was no jury in the court back in the times of Babylon. The code of Hammurabi was like an eye for an eye punishment. If you killed someone than you would be killed.
In the Sumerian, they were ruled by Kings. One of the King’s most important job is to lead the army. Kings appointed officials to help with certain duties and governors ruled the outlying towns. Sumerians were the first people to develop a system of written laws. Both the Sumerian and Babylonian In the Babylon enforced laws and collected taxes. Hammurabi was the king that is best known for his law code. He used code of laws to unify his empire and to preserve order. These laws covered many situations such as trade, payment for work, marriage, and divorce. It established high standards of behavior and stern punishments for violators. Even though the laws were harsh and strict, it helped shape the life of Babylonians. Hammurabi’s code of laws was an important achievement because he developed a more efficient and predictable