Hammurabi Dbq
Journal 1
Jonathan Craft
History 1111
Prof. Timmons
The Code of Hammurabi
When the young Amorite Hammurabi transformed the seemingly minute part of Mesopotamia, he had to do something that no other leader had done before; use writing to persuade and convey power. He first did so in writing essentially using it as a weapon against his stronger neighbors in such a way that would rage war with one another to weaken them all the while making him a stronger more powerful leader. Although Babylon was a rather small city in Mesopotamia, Hammurabi used deceit to build what is known as the Old Babylonian Empire. Hammurabi built his empire in a non-confrontational way through the Code of Hammurabi and the unification of religion under Marduk, the ruler-god. …show more content…
Hammurabi inducted Marduk as the empires ruler-god by which all people were in debt to.
The people of Hammurabi essentially believed that whatever Hammurabi instilled was by way of the divinity. To unify the people in a secular religious believe and moral code, Hammurabi needed to install a comprehensive set of laws known has the Code of Hammurabi. The code consisted of 282 laws in which Hammurabi expressed were a devotion to god and his responsibilities as a king. The codes provided a structure to life and the consequences that would follow if such codes were not abided by. The Code of Hammurabi elicited some equalities while insinuating some strong, blatant, inequalities amongst the different classes of people from slaves to the aristocratic class. For example code number 6 in the Code of Hammurabi states, “If a man steals valuables belonging to the god or to the palace, that man shall be killed, and also the one who received stolen goods from him shall be kill.” It seems that Hammurabi was not a forgiving type of leader in that he had laws that were to be followed and the consequence of forfeiting those laws would typically result in
death.
Code number 132 in the Code of Hammurabi ultimately epitomizes the often harsh inequalities amongst men and women, class and rank, “ If a man’s wife should have a finger pointed against her in accusation involving another male, although she has not been seized lying with another male, she shall submit to the divine River Ordeal for her husband.” If she were to break free from the waters, then she did not commit adultery. The inequality of class and rank; code 200, “If an awilu should knock out the tooth of another awilu of his own rank, they shall knock out his tooth” but in contrast code 201 states “If he should knock out the tooth of a commoner, he shall weigh and deliver 20 shekels of silver.” Although there are many subtle signs of inequalities and harsh punishments, there are also subtle equalities amongst the many classes of people; people of the same class were equal to each other.
In conclusion, the Code of Hammurabi awarded some great advances for a political and religious relationship. It provided a (harsh) standard of respect and morality relevant to the time, translated through Hammurabi from the divinity. The passage Luke 6:21, “Do to others as you would have them do to you” sums up many of the codes. The Code of Hammurabi was a powerful monument in which imposed a governance over the people by word of the god with a subtle humanitarian foundation.
Jonathan Craft
History 1111
Prof. Timmons
The Code of Hammurabi
When the young Amorite Hammurabi transformed the seemingly minute part of Mesopotamia, he had to do something that no other leader had done before; use writing to persuade and convey power. He first did so in writing essentially using it as a weapon against his stronger neighbors in such a way that would rage war with one another to weaken them all the while making him a stronger more powerful leader. Although Babylon was a rather small city in Mesopotamia, Hammurabi used deceit to build what is known as the Old Babylonian Empire. Hammurabi built his empire in a non-confrontational way through the Code of Hammurabi and the unification of religion under Marduk, the ruler-god. …show more content…
Hammurabi inducted Marduk as the empires ruler-god by which all people were in debt to.
The people of Hammurabi essentially believed that whatever Hammurabi instilled was by way of the divinity. To unify the people in a secular religious believe and moral code, Hammurabi needed to install a comprehensive set of laws known has the Code of Hammurabi. The code consisted of 282 laws in which Hammurabi expressed were a devotion to god and his responsibilities as a king. The codes provided a structure to life and the consequences that would follow if such codes were not abided by. The Code of Hammurabi elicited some equalities while insinuating some strong, blatant, inequalities amongst the different classes of people from slaves to the aristocratic class. For example code number 6 in the Code of Hammurabi states, “If a man steals valuables belonging to the god or to the palace, that man shall be killed, and also the one who received stolen goods from him shall be kill.” It seems that Hammurabi was not a forgiving type of leader in that he had laws that were to be followed and the consequence of forfeiting those laws would typically result in
death.
Code number 132 in the Code of Hammurabi ultimately epitomizes the often harsh inequalities amongst men and women, class and rank, “ If a man’s wife should have a finger pointed against her in accusation involving another male, although she has not been seized lying with another male, she shall submit to the divine River Ordeal for her husband.” If she were to break free from the waters, then she did not commit adultery. The inequality of class and rank; code 200, “If an awilu should knock out the tooth of another awilu of his own rank, they shall knock out his tooth” but in contrast code 201 states “If he should knock out the tooth of a commoner, he shall weigh and deliver 20 shekels of silver.” Although there are many subtle signs of inequalities and harsh punishments, there are also subtle equalities amongst the many classes of people; people of the same class were equal to each other.
In conclusion, the Code of Hammurabi awarded some great advances for a political and religious relationship. It provided a (harsh) standard of respect and morality relevant to the time, translated through Hammurabi from the divinity. The passage Luke 6:21, “Do to others as you would have them do to you” sums up many of the codes. The Code of Hammurabi was a powerful monument in which imposed a governance over the people by word of the god with a subtle humanitarian foundation.