How Did Hammurabi's Code Of Laws Change

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.

Law codes serve two major functions, to promote order and enforce stability. Not all law codes are the same. They differ depending on the influences acting upon the ruler, and the region the laws are created to work for. Even so, the laws all serve the same purpose. Like Ashoka’s Pillars and Hammurabi’s code. Asoka’s laws and Hammurabi’s laws differ on the grounds of social systems, yet relate on the idea of technology.

In addition to these laws, Hammurabi’s laws were also gender biased .Laws for women were also unjust, gender biased and based on social classes. Women were not given an individual status according to these laws and also they weren’t allowed to trade and open their own business. Also, they did not have their individual rights. For instance, the law one hundred and twenty eight states that “ If a man take a woman to wife, but have no intercourse with her, this woman is no wife to him”. This law shows that the women were not treated equally and laws were based from the perspective of men and not the women. These laws also shows that how they were unjust to a women and suggest the social condition of them . Another law which states “If the "finger is pointed" at a man's wife about another man, but she is not caught sleeping with the other man, she shall jump into the river for her husband.” This was very wrong as it raised many questions about why only women were required to sacrifice and not men. Also, there was inequality between men and women as only men can choose their wife or perhaps buy her

To begin with, Hammurabi’s Code was just to the family. For example, in Law 148 it protects the wife from abandonment from which it is evidence that it protected the weak. Also, in Law 149 it teaches children obedience which it is not to struck their superior in that case their father. Based on what I read, the laws protected the weak in these scenarios. In addition, this shows that Hammurabi’s Laws were just to the family. As you can see,

The Code of Hammurabi was a law code written by King Hammurabi of Babylon in Mesopotamia in the ancient near east. This document was said to be written in about 1772 B.C. These 282 law codes contained numerous laws and rules that Hammurabi had established for many reasons. The Code of Hammurabi set the tone and defined how his society would function and impacted day to day life of his people. Not only has The Code of Hammurabi impacted Babylonian civilization, but has had a lasting impact on todays governments.

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

The code of Hammurabi is the most remarkable and complete code of ancient law that we have. The code can be found on a stele, a stone slab usually to commemorate military victories in the ancient world. His code, a collection of 282 laws and standards, stipulated rules for commercial interactions and set fines and punishments to meet the requirements of justice. Most punishments resulting of death or loss of limb if a law was broken. The edicts ranged from family law to professional contracts and administrative law, often outlining different standards of justice for the three classes of Babylonian society. The Hammurabi Code was issued on the three classes of Babylonian Society, property owners, freemen and slaves. It was important as it organized the most civilized empire at that times , and Hammurabi made many copies of it and distributed them in the most important cities of the empire , so it represented a great progress to the human

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.

Laws are usually inspired and taken from the common knowledge of the society, whether the common knowledge was good or bad it does not make a difference. To illustrate, common laws derive from ethical backgrounds passed through generation to generation, where they feel that these traditions are sacred, and they cannot change it, because they fear the resistance that might develop form that change. Similarly, any religion after certain time gets to change in the name of modernity and prestige. To explain more, Hammurabi

1) The Babylonian law tried to put a monetary value on different parts of justice, and equate crimes together regardless of intention, leading to the popular saying, “an eye for an eye”. This view does not work with a large, professional bureaucracy as it would soon leave the leading kingdom bankrupt. The use of volunteers by the state is exemplified by the “success” of the laws. The leading kingdom believed that laws would be upheld by volunteers, thus preventing anarchy, and establishing rule over the Babylonian people. Public works were also upheld by the “volunteers” as they brought forward people to

In Mesopotamia, Hammurabi equated accomplishments and prosperities to the gods’ intentions. Around 1755 B.C.E., Hammurabi created a law code that dealt with social, economic, and judicial conventions. According to Hammurabi,

The oldest laws were created to protect its people and create peace. In 1754 B.C.E king Hammurabi wrote 282 laws to protect his people in Babylon. In my opinion, Hammurabi's code were just because they, protected everyone, they were equal and helped the community work together.

Hammurabi’s code of law is like our school rules because they help things to stay in order and stop chaos. Hammurabi was a king of Mesopotamia, but just started out as a “mayor” as Babylon. He lived in Babylon, Mesopotamia which is also where he wrote his 282 laws. This was about 4,000 years ago. He did this because he wanted to stop chaos. After careful analysis, the law code of Hammurabi was not just, in the area of family law.

The Code of Hammurabi gave us laws that as members of society that we must obey this laws in order to be part of the society. As a former Criminal Justice major I am familiar with the Code of Hammurabi due to it being one of the first law document ever written.

In Mesopotamia, the caste system was divided mostly based on skill and wealth. Many of the laws in Code of Hammurabi relied heavily in the different classes you were in. Some of the laws differed against people in different classes. For example, law 196 states, “If a man destroyed the eye…his own eye shall be destroyed” compared to law 198, “If he has destroyed…he shall pay one mina of silver.” This clearly shows the contrast of treatment from one class to another.