Code of Hammurabi
The Code of Hammurabi was a brilliant advancement in the development of civilization and a great way of punishment for acts of cruelty. However, they may have been more on the mind of Hammurabi than punishment. There is sufficient evidence that Hammurabi wanted to defend the helpless. In his time it was believed that people were, by nature, not equal. This is obvious in the laws and punishments of the Code of Hammurabi, as they attempt to be appropriate penalties that recognize social ranks. However, Hammurabi did include laws to help protect and allow retaliation for commoners and slaves. Hammurabi wanted to provide legal uniformity throughout Babylon and help unite the social classes, at least when it came to some laws.The Code of Hammurabi does bring justice for all of the classes of the society, but not equally. The population was divided into three different classes, the noble, the commoners, and the slaves. The king and court, the highest officials and craftsmen were in the noble class. They did have more privilege when it came to the Code of Hammurabi. They get to perform the exact act that happened to them in retaliation. However, they did have to pay more money in fines when they broke a law that had a moneta
For example, the Code reads in law #200 it says, "If a noble has knocked out a tooth of a noble of his own rank, they shall knock out his tooth. If you entrust your money with someone, they should be responsible. Law #204 states "If a freed man strikes the body of another freed man, he shall pay ten shekels in money". It is saying that the nobles are superior to the commoners. Although the treatment of women is pretty fair, the woman is required to remain in her husbandsHoe and be dependent on him. Many of Hammurabi's Codes are way too extreme for today's society (#229 If a builder build a house for some one, and does not construct it properly, and the house which he built fall in and kill its owner, then that builder shall be put to death) or way to soft (#209 If a man strike a free-born woman so that she lose her unborn child, he shall pay ten shekels for her loss). However, the slaves are protected in code #16 which states that the master of the house is punished not the slave. Females are treated differently than males in the Code of Hammurabi. This law helps you keep your money if it is lost, and it is a good law. Law #48 "If any one owe a debt for a loan, and a storm prostrates the grain, or the harvest fail, or the grain does not grow for lack of water; in that year he need not give his creditor any grain, he washes his debt-tablet in water and pays no rent for this year". These people did not own land, but were free. Also, law #138 deals with a male noble divorcing his wife, however nowhere is it stated that women have the right to divorce the man. When it came to the Code, they had to accept money for bodily injury, but in return they had to pay fines of lesser amounts.
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