Hammurabi Themes

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.

The Law code of Hammurabi is an inscription of laws on a well preserved stele artifact. The Babylonian King Hammurabi included not only new laws but law codes from the Sumerians and Akkadians. Since Hammurabi included these ideas from previous codes this can prove that these laws were not only written but also enforced. The laws of Hammurabi have a common theme of solving problems with getting even or unjustly consequences so that they don’t go against his laws, the topics such as domestic situations, work relations, and exchange all exemplify this theme within their law.

Way back in the ancient mesopotamia around 1800 BC arose a leader named Hammurabi. He created a set of laws called The Code of Hammurabi. The Code of Hammurabi was unfair. In Hammurabi’s laws, it says on code number 196, “ If a man put out the eye of another man, his eye shall be put out.” This rule is not fair. What if the man that you poked his eye out was trying to kill you and you did that in self defense? Also it would not be fair if it was an accident. This is not the only law that is very unfair. There are many others such as law 205, “If the slave of a freed man strike the body of a freed man, his ear shall be cut off.” This is why the Code of Hammurabi were very unfair.

The Code of Hammurabi is one of history’s oldest and best – preserved written law which appeared in Mesopotamia around 1760 BCE. “It consists of customary norms that were collected toward the end of his reign and inscribed on a diorite stela set up in Babylon's temple of Marduk, the god of Babylonia. The 282 chapters include economic provisions (prices, tariffs, trade, and commerce), family law (marriage and divorce), as well as criminal law (assault, theft) and civil law (slavery, debt). Penalties varied according to the status of the offenders and the circumstances of the offenses. ” These laws considered words which sent by the Sun god Shamash to Hammurabi. Therefore, people believed that as long as they obey the laws, then they obey the god’s words.

The “Code of Hammurabi” is considered to be one of the most valuable finds of human existence. In fact its very existence created the basis for the justice system we have come to rely on today. The creation of “the Code” was a tremendous achievement for not only Babylonian society but for the entire Mesopotamian region as King Hammurabi was ruler over all of that area. Its conception can be considered to be the first culmination of the laws of different regions into a single, logical text. Hammurabi wanted to be an efficient ruler and realized that this could be achieved through the use of a common set of laws which applied to all territories and all citizens who fell under his rule. This paper will discuss the Hammurabi Code and the

The Law Code of Hammurabi is a native Babylonian text that served as the basic law code of society. The way of life was of the former Babylonians culture is totally different than what we are used to today. The text gives readers a vision of how ancient societies lived in these times. This law code gave society a diverse arrangement for citizens to follow. The social structure isn’t about wealth, they are judged by different standards (such as trial by ordeal). The husband is the dominant role of the house. The family structure is a patriarchal household and the power of the father is absolute. The Law Code of Hammurabi gives readers a clear thought of how unfair the earlier civilization of Babylonians existed through class structures, gender relations, and family structures.

Throughout time many civilizations and societies have come and gone. Every one of them was unique in their own way and had a different way of governing themselves. In this paper, I will be focusing on Hammurabi’s Code. Hammurabi’s Code is a series of laws that governed the Babylonian society back, when they were created, in 1780 BCE. The code was wrote by Hammurabi himself, back when he ruled the Empire of Babylon. The text itself explains why the code was created and why Hammurabi was chosen to write the code. The code then lists, in an organized fashion, all the rules that the society is to follow and what the punishments are if the rules are broken. Every rule is very specific about what is to happen if the rule has to be enforced. Hammurabi’s Code gives us an idea of how the justice system worked in the Babylonian society, how men and women in the society were treated, and how the religion was followed.

In conclusion, Hammurabi’s Law Code was fundamental in elevating females place in society. Previously unprotected by any official laws, women were to some degree, treated as slaves. However, the implementation of Hammurabi’s Code of Laws, granted woman very important protections—if only a few—that greatly benefited the stability of their societal position. To summarize, the law code granted women few, but very monumental rights that consequently elevated their place in society as well as paving the way for future generations to attain further

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.

Hammurabi’s Code reveals much about the social class structure of Ancient Babylonia, particularly the distinction was made between the treatment of the rich, the poor, and the slaves. For example, Hammurabi’s Code states that if a patrician (noble) or plebeian (commoner) stole something that was used to contribute to

Regardless of the time period, everybody should have been treated equally. In Law 213, it stated, “If he has struck the slave-girl of a free man and causes her to lose the fruit of her womb, he shall pay two shekels of silver” (Law 213, Doc E). Hammurabi believed that if a man causes a slave-girl to lose her baby, he would pay two shekels of silver. This was unjust because it meant that people were not treated equally. On the stele, it read, “If a surgeon has operated with a bronze lancet on a free man for a serious injury, and has caused his death, … his hands shall be cut off” (Law 218, Doc E). Law 218 was designed to have the accused (surgeon) receive a painful physical punishment if he operated on a free man and caused his death. Injustice could be seen through this law because society lost a doctor and the accused was just doing his

Firstly, in Doc. B, Hammurabi states, “If he destroys the laws in which I have given, may the great gods of heaven and earth inflict a curse upon his family, his land, his warriors, his subjects, and his troops.” It doesn’t necessarily seem to be fair that your land will be “cursed” if you are to not obey the laws instructed by Hammurabi.

Hammurabi’s code comes with punishments and rewards, these punishments and rewards make Hammurabi’s code unjust and just. Hammurabi’s code is one the worlds oldest sets of laws. These laws were written by Hammurabi, the king of Babylon, in the 18th century BCE. Based on the documents, Hammurabi’s code offers harsh punishments for mistakes, and nicer rewards. This essay will examine the punishments of Hammurabi’s code, as well as the rewards, and decide whether to not it is just.

Code of Hammurabi The Code of Hammurabi, in today’s terms, would seem to be a very violent and almost barbaric way of punishing people for their crimes. Even though this may be true, this code of laws tells the modern world a vast amount about the culture, social classes, religious beliefs, and gender roles from the ancient Mesopotamian civilizations. In this culture, when it comes to someone being wronged or taken advantage of in some way, the primary goal was to repay the wronged person and then punish someone for the crime. The code also tells the reader how the Mesopotamians dealt with the stealing which shows a lot about their views of personal property and punishment, but it also tells the reader their system of trade and markets. The Code also reveals many details about how important slavery was to the culture, and the way a family was organized in a patriarchy.

Some of the most fascinating concepts to examine deal with the values of people throughout history in any given society. In order to have a deeper understanding of how the values of ancient civilizations are similar to the modern day, it is helpful to examine documents of civilizations from long ago. The Code of Hammurabi (c. 1754 B.C), one of the oldest written law codes in the world, reveals many principles of the ancient Babylonians. As William Dawson puts it, “Hammurabi decided that one way to glorify his accomplishments, make his empire permanent and demonstrate his divine wisdom for all to see, was to publish his legal decisions and judgments throughout the land” (3). During this time period, the empire’s economy thrived from trade and its agricultural advancement.