Essay On The Progressive Code Of Hammurabi

Progressive Codes of Hammurabi

Hammurabi’s, the sixth king of the Babylon, reign has pursued 42 years, between 1792 to 1749 BC. He has presented oneself as "Anu and Bel called by name me, Hammurabi, the exalted prince, who feared God, to bring about the rule of righteousness in the land, to destroy the wicked and the evil-doers; so that the strong should not harm the weak; so that I should rule over the black-headed people like Shamash, and enlighten the land, to further the well-being of mankind." In other words he says his words like the God’s words and rules. There are several codes at the beginning of civilization in history. Not the earliest but one of the most important and long surviving codes in ancient history are the law codes of

Hammurabi. There are 44 columns and 28 paragraphs that accomodated 282 laws on the pillar. They show us the progress of civilization and how does it affect societies when the codes were valid and after. The codes have written according to Hammurabi’s, the sixth king of the Babylon, own judgments during his reign by his order. The pillar is not just an antique stone piece; it shed light on the social structure of Babylon and gives us a chance to look into Babylon society clearly and also if the punishments are effective and progressive or not.
The codes written on the obelisk usually linked to property rights of landowners, slave masters, traders, and entrepreneurs. According to this we can say that Babylon’s economy was based on farm, building and trade that also includes slave trade. From this point of view the Hammurabi’s codes are mostly based on the important economical factors of this period. Most of the codes are pertain to these categories like the relationship between seller and customer. Moreover, they attach importance to quality of the works through the codes for maintaining the quality of products. For example:
• If a builder build a house for someone, and does not construct it properly, and the house which he built fall in and kill its owner, then that builder shall be put to death.
• If a shipbuilder build a boat for someone, and do not make it tight, if during that same year that boat is sent away and suffers injury, the shipbuilder shall take the boat apart and put it together tight at his own expense.

The tight boat he shall give to the boat owner.

These codes guarantee the quality of work for customers and also make sellers to keep the quality higher than a certain level. This can encourage the customers to spend their money wisely. It effects economy in positive ways. This also make people to do their job conscientiously.

“Eye for an eye” motto creates an illusion that the rules are equal. However the codes was based on equality in the fact that in Hammurabi codes, rules are not equal for everyone in social structure. There is social class discrimination in the Babylon social system like the other countries during the period that the kingdom of Babylon exist. It depends on gender, which class are you belong in the society, who is your father, all that matter. The class that you are in specify your punishment. For example to social class discrimination in the Babylon social system:

• If a man put out the eye of another man, his eye shall be put out.

• If he put out the eye of a freed man, or break the bone of a freed man, he shall pay one gold

mina.
• If he put out the eye of a man's slave, or break the bone of a man's slave, he shall pay one-half of its value.
If we deduce from these examples, it is obvious that the Babylonians system was not a social system which we can describe equal. There are different punishments between slaves, common people, women and the upper-class people. Consequently, “Justice for All” looks adapt with the codes of Hammurabi but in the fact that some others definitely more equal than others. Nowadays approximetely all people think that equality is the first human rights. We can see that equality is not valid on the reign of Hammurabi. Social attitudes have been affected by period jurisdiction.
In my opinion, some of the punishments are effective and disincentive but some others are not.

The social class discrimination affects these codes which is not good for equality of law. Rules about trading can improve the quality of job and develop the economy. In the other hand the codes about daily life and family, for example fighting of two men or divorcing of a man and a woman, are based on revenge feeling and so brutal. However, the codes are still proggressive and effective according to conditions of period. It also affect the cultures and societies for centuries. Fear of the punishments affected to kingdom in so many good ways like improve architecture, trade and

law.
To conclude, the codes of Hammurabi are ahead of one’s time without a doubt. There are a lot of scientist and philosophers who still researching and affecting on this situation. Hammurabi’s codes, as the one of the first and most known codes of the civilization, has impressions on the law and the philosophy of law today. We can infer from that history is also has huge importance for the comparing situations today and before.
Bibliography
Horne, C., C. H. W. Johns, and L. W. King. "Ancient history sourcebook: Code of Hammurabi, c. 1780 BCE." Fordham University. Retrieved March 16 (1998): 2012.
Think Quest, Hammurabi's Code, retrieved on 2 Nov 2011
Law, Slander Ex. "Code of Hammurabi."
Edited by Richard Hooker; Translated by L.W King (1996). "Mesopotamia: The Code of Hammurabi". Washington State University. Archived from the original on 9 September 2007. Retrieved 14 September 2007.