Hammurabis Code of Laws
Hammurabi's Code of Laws is a document that lays out the basic laws forthe Mesopotamian society. The Code reads much like a legal documentbecause it is to be taken very seriously. It is much like the TenCommandments because it contains statutes that people must live by. Theywere even etched in stone. It is also written in a very serious mannerbecause it is a serious document. His code of laws is significant tohistory because it set a standard for other codes of law. Perhaps the mostsignificant aspect of Hammurabi's Code of Laws is that he felt a need forestablishing laws in order to maintain some sort of control over society.From this we can determine that society must have some form of governmentin tact in order to enforce law and not only maintain control but keep the Hammurabi created his code and he was one of Mesopotamia's greatestkings. His place in society gave him significant power and influence. Hiscode reveals a "society strictly divided by class; there were nobles,commoners, and slaves, and the law did not treat them as equal" (Craig 7).This class division could explain the need for such a code of laws.Hammurabi's laws were divided into different groups that i
The very mention of these items indicates that theMesopotamian society was rather sophisticated and enjoyed a healthycommercial life. Their behaviorwas such that it commanded control and Hammurabi felt he was just theperson to not only create such laws but enforce them as well. In thecode's prologue, it becomes clear that justice came from the gods and theking himself. In some cases,slaves were used as a means to pay off a debt. Such instances indicatethat society during Hammurabi's time was focused on commercial aspects andtook debt very seriously. Another law states that if a wife has contracted afever, her husband is free to marry another woman if he so desired. The largest section of Hammurabi's Code of Law deals with the family andhow it to maintain and protect itself. While there was obviously classdistinction, there was a greater respect for decency and the law. Hammurabi's Code of Laws reveals the ethics of an ancient civilization. We are told: then Anu and Bel called by name me, Hammurabi, the exalted prince, who feared God, to bring about the rule of righteousness in the land, to destroy the wicked and the evil-doers; so that the strong should not harm the weak; so that I should rule over the black-headed people like Shamash, and enlighten the land, to further the well-being of mankind" (Hammurabi). Punishment was quite different than the types of punishment we see today;however, it is important to note that the power of the state is similar. ncluded family,labor, trade, and personal property. For example,crimes committed against free men were punished more harshly than the samecrimes committed against slaves. For example, one of the laws states,"If any one bring an accusation of any crime before the elders, and doesnot prove what he has charged, he shall, if it be a capital offensecharged, be put to death" (Hammurabi).
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