Hammurabis Legal Law Code
Cody Calvin
Western Civilization
Mr. Alexander
During the ancient times, the people of Mesopotamia lived under the rule of the Babylonian king, Hammurabi. Babylon is located along the Euphrates and Tigris River. During his reign, from approximately 1795- 1750 B.C. he oversaw a great expansion of Babylon to an entire empire. Not only did Hammurabi renew the greatness of Babylon and create the world’s first big city, but he is also most famous for a series of laws that he created. Hammurabi created his code of laws, which consists of 282 laws, in the year 1750 BC. The Code of Hammurabi was inscribed on stone. The code of laws encouraged people to accept authority of a king, who was trying to give common rules to govern the subjects' behavior. The actual laws range from public to private matters, with humane approaches to human problems. The laws include almost everything from marriage and family relations, negligence, fraud, commercial contracts, duties of public officials, property and inheritance, crimes and punishments, techniques of legal procedure, protection for women, children, and slaves etc. The purpose of the Legal Code of Hammurabi was to use political power to create common bonds among the diverse people of the society. It greatly influenced a total dependence on the power of their one ruler, and it was a conscious effort to exalt the king as the source of earthly powers. It unified the empire by offering the standards for moral values, class structure, gender relationships, and religion. It was the most important of all Mesopotamian contributions to civilization. But why? How was a code of laws such a huge impact on not only the society, but also the world we live in today? Over the next few paragraphs I will discuss the importance of this Code of Laws as well as the time period from which it was derived.
After a careful analysis, historians may be able to pin point a clear picture of the culture and society of ancient Babylonia. One aspect of
Western Civilization
Mr. Alexander
During the ancient times, the people of Mesopotamia lived under the rule of the Babylonian king, Hammurabi. Babylon is located along the Euphrates and Tigris River. During his reign, from approximately 1795- 1750 B.C. he oversaw a great expansion of Babylon to an entire empire. Not only did Hammurabi renew the greatness of Babylon and create the world’s first big city, but he is also most famous for a series of laws that he created. Hammurabi created his code of laws, which consists of 282 laws, in the year 1750 BC. The Code of Hammurabi was inscribed on stone. The code of laws encouraged people to accept authority of a king, who was trying to give common rules to govern the subjects' behavior. The actual laws range from public to private matters, with humane approaches to human problems. The laws include almost everything from marriage and family relations, negligence, fraud, commercial contracts, duties of public officials, property and inheritance, crimes and punishments, techniques of legal procedure, protection for women, children, and slaves etc. The purpose of the Legal Code of Hammurabi was to use political power to create common bonds among the diverse people of the society. It greatly influenced a total dependence on the power of their one ruler, and it was a conscious effort to exalt the king as the source of earthly powers. It unified the empire by offering the standards for moral values, class structure, gender relationships, and religion. It was the most important of all Mesopotamian contributions to civilization. But why? How was a code of laws such a huge impact on not only the society, but also the world we live in today? Over the next few paragraphs I will discuss the importance of this Code of Laws as well as the time period from which it was derived.
After a careful analysis, historians may be able to pin point a clear picture of the culture and society of ancient Babylonia. One aspect of