preview

King Hammurabi's Code Of Babylon

Better Essays

The year is 1901- the United States stock market just crashed for the very first time, typhoid fever has broken out in Seattle, and several other, minor catastrophes are occurring in various parts of the world; but for the most part, people are living out their daily lives as they normally would. However, one fateful day in Iran, a group of French archaeologists make a groundbreaking discovery while excavating. What they come across is none other than the pillar of Hammurabi’s Code of Laws, a magnificent basalt structure depicting the first written code of laws for any civilization, created by King Hammurabi himself for what was known as the Old Babylon period (ushistory.org 2016). Although there is definitely no question that Babylon thrived under the rule of Hammurabi, and that he did a remarkable job at keeping order and justice …show more content…

The laws were carefully inscribed into a very large, basalt pillar reaching over seven feet tall when standing. At the top of the stone block, there lies a statue depicting King Hammurabi receiving a gift from a sun god (Kerrigan, M. 2011), followed by the code itself beginning with the phrase, “Anu and Bel called by name me, Hammurabi, the exalted prince…” and continuing on to describe how Hammurabi was chosen to rule over his people by the gods themselves (ushistory.org 2016). A large majority of the laws covered the concepts of property ownerships, but they also take up other important aspects including false accusations, liability in accidents, injury, marriages, and just general treatment of people in the society. A new issue was also brought up in the laws which gave a women the ability to divorce her husband if she would so choose to, which was never allowed in any prior civilization or city (Fairservis, Jr., W. A.

Get Access