Hammurabi Dbq Analysis

Hammurabi’s code is believed to be the first form of written law. It consists of a set of 282 laws written by Hammurabi, the king of Babylon circa 1792 BCE, that established a written social contract amongst the people of Babylonia. It was written on a stone stele that stands more than eight feet tall and weighs over 4 tons (doc A). According to the stele, Hammurabi was instructed to create the code by Shamash, the god of justice (doc B). However, it introduces conflicting ideas about justice that are arguable to this day. Were his rules unethical or his punishments too severe? Hammurabi’s code may be seen as unfair by today’s standards, but in solving matters that involve family, property, and health issues of his time, Hammurabi’s code was just because it utilizes negative reinforcement to implement positive results in society.

Hammurabi’s code could have been just in many different ways depending on the situation, but Hammurabi’s code also killed many innocent people! When Hammurabi made the laws, they were placed in the middle of the town, so the people knew about the laws and the consequences if they broke the laws. In Hammurabi’s words, he said: “ Hammurabi, the protecting king am I. … That the strong might not injure the weak, in order to protect the widows and orphans.” (Doc. B). He promised to protect the weak and Hammurabi did not keep his promise. Although he meant well, Some of the laws were unjust and unnecessary. Here is why Hammurabi’s code is unjust to the property laws and the personal injury law.

First of all, I do not support Hammurabi’s code and I believe that it was unfair in multiple ways. One way that Hammurabi’s code was unjust, is that it was unfair to the victim. For example, law number 48 says, “If any one owe

Hammurabi’s codes were just and sometimes unjust. They would have harsh punishments and sometimes not as harsh punishments. For example, Hammurabi would have harsh punishments like, blinding someone and throwing them in the water, or if someone were to rob some ones house and put a hole through the wall to get in they would whether get killed and pierced or hung in the hole in the wall that they created. Also he would have not as harsh punishments like, giving people money or cutting off their hands. Hammurabi had a lot harsher punishments for woman that did not obey the codes and not as harsh punishments for men that did not obey the laws.

Hammurabi’s code was just because of its personal injury laws. In law 209 it states, “If a man strikes the daughter of a free man and causes her to lose the fruit of her womb, he shall pay 10 shekels of silver.” (Doc E). This law is just because the free man is taking care of his daughter by making sure the man pays for what he caused. In law 213 it states, “If he has struck the slave-girl of a free man and causes her to lose the fruit of her womb,

Hammurabi’s code was fair because of the Family Laws. In law 148, it states “In a marriage if a spouse dies, then the remaining spouse remarries the living spouse the deceased must dwell in the house that they built

To begin with, the family laws in Hammurabi’s code are usually pretty unfair in the way they handle family disputes. One example of this is shown in Law 195 when the Code states, “If a son has struck his father, his hands shall be cut off”(Document C). This is unfair because it treats the son as lesser than the father since he gets a worse punishment than the original offense. Which shows that this law is an unbalanced punishment for the offense. Another example of an unfair law pertaining to family manners is when law 168 states, “If a man has determined to disinherit his son and has declared before the judge, “‘I cut off my son,’ the judge shall inquire into the son’s past, and, if the son has not committed a grave misdemeanor…, the father shall not disinherit his son”(Document C). This shows how a law can take something that should be decided by an individual, but instead is taken into a decision by the

How would people feel if they had to follow the laws of Hammurabi’s code? Hammurabi was the king of Babylonia. Hammurabi started being king around 3500 BCE, and Hammurabi made 282 laws. Hammurabi’s Code was unjust based on the evidence from the codes Personal law, Property law, and Family law. Was Hammurabi’s code just?

Hammurabi's code was just, because it protected people and was fair. For most of the 282 laws in hammurabi's code they were in the best interest of helping and protecting the week, sick, poor, and the vast majority of babylonia. The laws were mostly fair to the people because usually the punishment was something of equal or greater harm than which the crime was committed. The only concern of mine is how harsh some laws were, because the punishment was way worse than the crime, but it was in a good cause so if the punishment was not death that the criminal was taught a good lesson, and if it was death the people didn't have to worry about the criminal that was killed because the criminal would be dead.

Hammurabi was the sixth and most notable king of the first Babylonian dynasty. He greatly expanded Babylon during his time as king, uniting all of Mesopotamia. His innovative Code of Laws made him an important historical figure. Hammurabi’s law codes were important not only due to the fact that they were written Akkadian—the language of the Babylonians—but also because they were physically displayed in heavily populated areas. This allowed the public to view and understand the official laws of their land—an unprecedented development during this period. Hammurabi’s Law Code provided women with a number of rights and protections, including protection of their children as well as various marital benefits.

Nearly 4,000 years ago, a man named Hammurabi became king of babylonia. He ruled for 42 years. During that time, he became the ruler of much of Mesopotamia, which had an estimated population of 1,000,000 people or more. In his 38th year, Hammurabi made a set of 282 laws called a code that he had engraved on a stone stele. He did this to bring order and fairness to all. There has been some debate about the justness of this code. In my opinion, Hammurabi’s code was not just because of it’s family law, property law, and personal injury law.

For example in Doc C. law 148 says If a man has married a wife and she catches a disease, if he is determined to marry a second wife, he shall marry her. He shall not divorce the wife that has caught the disease, She should live in the house they have built together, and he should maintain her as long as she lives. This law is unfair to the man in this situation owing to the fact that it’s only protecting the sick woman and only her. This law does not protect the man in any way, he might become poorer if the sick wife lives because he now would have to support both of his wives. Hammurabi’s Code is manipulating because in Doc.

Hammurabi’s rules were meant to protect the people like the sick, the widowed, and the poor. For an example Law 168 states that if a father decides to disinherit his son, he must have legitimate reason to do so or he can't give him up. This law prevents single mothers or children with no parents. In Law 148 it says if a man has a wife and she caught a disease he is allowed to have another chance in love after she passes. On Law 48 it states that if a farmer borrows money from a creditor and his crops or field gets damaged by a storm that farmer does not have to pay the creditor back.

Although most people in today’s society would argue that Hammurabi's Code was unjust; the laws were perfectly suited for the citizens of the Babylonian empire and provided an early form of insurance for stolen goods (doc D, law 21 & 23) and for unforeseeable circumstances in agriculture (doc D, law 48, 53 & 54). Hammurabi put these laws into place to benefit the “weak, the widowed and the orphaned” (doc B) . These laws were a reliable source to the Babylonian people becauses they were given to Hammurabi by Shamash, the god of justice (doc A). An example of how one of theses laws benefitted the weak can be found in (doc C, law 148), if a man’s wife is ill and he would like to marry another, he must continue to take care of her. Hammurabi’s code specifically spoke to justice that relates to

Hammurabi’s Code Hammurabi’s Code was created by Hammurabi. I think that Hammurabi’s Code was too brutal and unfair because in almost every rule there is death, unfair laws and much more horrifying deaths, and laws. Some of these documents and laws are truly unfair, and some don’t make any sense. In my opinion, these laws are very terrifying as we talk about these laws. Hammurabi’s Code pococurante about women.