King Hammurabi Dbq
King Hammurabi ruled the city state of Babylon from 1792 and 1750(BC ) . He was the sixth king of the Amorite First Dynasty of Babylon, having taken over the throne from his father. The Amorites were a Semitic people who were originally from western Mesopotamia. Hammurabi is credited for expanding the Kingdom of Babylon and civilization along the Euphrates River, eventually conquering and uniting all of Mesopotamia. Although King Hammurabi is ruthless in war and swift to crush any rebellion, a main guiding tenant of his reign of 43 years, was to improve the lives of his people and to provide for all the people he ruled over. During his reign, he is known as “builder of the land”, due to his numerous public works building projects and construction of canal systems.
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(Hist.com) However, Hammurabi is most famous for creating a set of laws and standards. These 282 laws, or “Hammurabi’s Code” deal with everyday life, and explain major and minor offenses. Hammurabi's Code was written in order to establish justice during the time of his reign. It set morals values, a rigid class structure, and was the basis of the Sumerian culture and society.
Hammurabi's Code was written in Akaadian language using cuneiform, on a large stone slab called a stele. At the top of the stele is a carving of Hammurabi himself, receiving “the law” pictured by a rod and script, from the Babylonian god of justice. (Hist.com) The finding and translation of the stone in the 1900’s allowed for the discovery of the earliest form of written law. Hammurabi is seen as a lawgiver, and his beliefs can be connected to governments today.
Not only is the Babylonian legal system discovered through the 282 laws, it also gives insight into societal norms. Class structure during the time was a rigid pyramid with not much room for mobility. The king was at the top followed by nobles, free citizens, soldiers, and at the very bottom were slaves (Mary Deering, Study.com). The differences in legal treatment of a higher ranked citizen, to a lower ranked citizen are clear in Hammurabi's Code. If a man commits a crime that affects a man of equal stature in society, the punishment is the equivalent to the crime. But, if a man from a lower class commits a crime towards a man higher than himself, the punishment is more severe. An example would be code number 200 and 201, Code 200 reads “if a man knock out the teeth of his equal, his teeth shall be knocked out,” then code 201 reads “. If he knock out the teeth of a freed man, he shall pay one-third of a gold mina.” These types of laws solidified the class structure creating an unequal balance of power. A citizen's place in society is a huge role in the justice system, making Hammurabi's Code unfair and unjust way of living.
Hammurabi's Code also gave insight to how gender roles made a difference in the law.
Babylonia was a patriarchal society, having no equality between men and women. With laws restricting women to money, work, and marriage, they had little to no rights at all. Women’s role in society consisted of taking care of their children and the house. Women were mostly inferior to men when it came to marriage rules. A women at that time was property to her husband, meanwhile the husband controlled every aspect of the marriage, and could do whatever he pleased.(Mary Deering, Study.com) An example of this in Hammurabi's code is rule number 129; “. If a man's wife be surprised (in flagrante delicto) with another man, both shall be tied and thrown into the water, but the husband may pardon his wife and the king his slaves.” But on the other hand, rule number 138 states a man can leave his wife freely without getting throwing into any water, “if a man wishes to separate from his wife who has borne him no children, he shall give her the amount of her purchase money and the dowry which she brought from her father's house, and let her go.” The inequality between men and women are clear and defined by Hammurabi’s
Code.
One of the most famous moral codes that was set in place by Hammurabi’s Code is the idea of an “eye for an eye.” Meaning, if a man pokes another man's eye out, his eye shall be poked out as well. This concept of law is called retributive justice, in which the punishment corresponds directly to the crime, better known as the concept of 'an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth', made famous from the later law code found in the Old Testament, as stated in these verses from the Book of Exodus: “ if there is serious injury, you are to take life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise (Exodus 21:22-25).” (Jashua J. Mark, Ancient History Encyclopedia) This type of punishment was direct and easy for people to learn and live by. The punishment fits the crime exactly. Some morals were valued more than others, which is noticeable because the punishment are more severe. For a robbery case, a thief that is caught will not be robbed himself as punishment but “he shall be put to death,” stated in code number 22. A crime like robbery along with adultery, murder, and assault were not tolerated in Babylonian society according to Hammurabi's Code.
Hammurabi's Code is not just a list of Babylonian laws, but also a primary insight to Sumerian society. Between levels of punishment intensity, moral values can be ranked most important to not as important. The code reassures that Babylonia was a patriarchal society, with punishments differing for a women and a man. Not only did punishment range between gender, but also a citizens rank in society. Rules were more lenient for those at the top of the social pyramid then those more towards the bottom. Overall, the discovery of Hammurabi's Code of laws has shed light on Sumerian culture during the time of Hammurabi’s rule.
Although it was not actually the first law code developed in the ancient world, it served as a model for other cultures that followed. Hammurabi’s Code had a strong influence on the Hebrew culture, as we have seen it represented in the Bible Chapter of Exodus. Hammurabi’s Code helped set the standard for future laws in dealing strictly with the evidence of a crime and setting a specific punishment to apply to that crime. (Jashua J. Mark, Ancient History Encyclopedia)
(Hist.com) However, Hammurabi is most famous for creating a set of laws and standards. These 282 laws, or “Hammurabi’s Code” deal with everyday life, and explain major and minor offenses. Hammurabi's Code was written in order to establish justice during the time of his reign. It set morals values, a rigid class structure, and was the basis of the Sumerian culture and society.
Hammurabi's Code was written in Akaadian language using cuneiform, on a large stone slab called a stele. At the top of the stele is a carving of Hammurabi himself, receiving “the law” pictured by a rod and script, from the Babylonian god of justice. (Hist.com) The finding and translation of the stone in the 1900’s allowed for the discovery of the earliest form of written law. Hammurabi is seen as a lawgiver, and his beliefs can be connected to governments today.
Not only is the Babylonian legal system discovered through the 282 laws, it also gives insight into societal norms. Class structure during the time was a rigid pyramid with not much room for mobility. The king was at the top followed by nobles, free citizens, soldiers, and at the very bottom were slaves (Mary Deering, Study.com). The differences in legal treatment of a higher ranked citizen, to a lower ranked citizen are clear in Hammurabi's Code. If a man commits a crime that affects a man of equal stature in society, the punishment is the equivalent to the crime. But, if a man from a lower class commits a crime towards a man higher than himself, the punishment is more severe. An example would be code number 200 and 201, Code 200 reads “if a man knock out the teeth of his equal, his teeth shall be knocked out,” then code 201 reads “. If he knock out the teeth of a freed man, he shall pay one-third of a gold mina.” These types of laws solidified the class structure creating an unequal balance of power. A citizen's place in society is a huge role in the justice system, making Hammurabi's Code unfair and unjust way of living.
Hammurabi's Code also gave insight to how gender roles made a difference in the law.
Babylonia was a patriarchal society, having no equality between men and women. With laws restricting women to money, work, and marriage, they had little to no rights at all. Women’s role in society consisted of taking care of their children and the house. Women were mostly inferior to men when it came to marriage rules. A women at that time was property to her husband, meanwhile the husband controlled every aspect of the marriage, and could do whatever he pleased.(Mary Deering, Study.com) An example of this in Hammurabi's code is rule number 129; “. If a man's wife be surprised (in flagrante delicto) with another man, both shall be tied and thrown into the water, but the husband may pardon his wife and the king his slaves.” But on the other hand, rule number 138 states a man can leave his wife freely without getting throwing into any water, “if a man wishes to separate from his wife who has borne him no children, he shall give her the amount of her purchase money and the dowry which she brought from her father's house, and let her go.” The inequality between men and women are clear and defined by Hammurabi’s
Code.
One of the most famous moral codes that was set in place by Hammurabi’s Code is the idea of an “eye for an eye.” Meaning, if a man pokes another man's eye out, his eye shall be poked out as well. This concept of law is called retributive justice, in which the punishment corresponds directly to the crime, better known as the concept of 'an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth', made famous from the later law code found in the Old Testament, as stated in these verses from the Book of Exodus: “ if there is serious injury, you are to take life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise (Exodus 21:22-25).” (Jashua J. Mark, Ancient History Encyclopedia) This type of punishment was direct and easy for people to learn and live by. The punishment fits the crime exactly. Some morals were valued more than others, which is noticeable because the punishment are more severe. For a robbery case, a thief that is caught will not be robbed himself as punishment but “he shall be put to death,” stated in code number 22. A crime like robbery along with adultery, murder, and assault were not tolerated in Babylonian society according to Hammurabi's Code.
Hammurabi's Code is not just a list of Babylonian laws, but also a primary insight to Sumerian society. Between levels of punishment intensity, moral values can be ranked most important to not as important. The code reassures that Babylonia was a patriarchal society, with punishments differing for a women and a man. Not only did punishment range between gender, but also a citizens rank in society. Rules were more lenient for those at the top of the social pyramid then those more towards the bottom. Overall, the discovery of Hammurabi's Code of laws has shed light on Sumerian culture during the time of Hammurabi’s rule.
Although it was not actually the first law code developed in the ancient world, it served as a model for other cultures that followed. Hammurabi’s Code had a strong influence on the Hebrew culture, as we have seen it represented in the Bible Chapter of Exodus. Hammurabi’s Code helped set the standard for future laws in dealing strictly with the evidence of a crime and setting a specific punishment to apply to that crime. (Jashua J. Mark, Ancient History Encyclopedia)