Code of Hammurabi

             Hammurabi was the ruler who chiefly established the greatness of Babylon, which is considered the world's first metropolis. His most remarkable and remembered accomplishment is the code of laws he lay down and enforced upon his people. They were written out in such a way that even the average person could read and in some cases even look up or reference the laws. Which was a far cry from the "these are the rules and you better follow them" method. The black stone monument the laws were carved into was found in a small city in the Persian mountains, not in their primary destination of Babylon. To which is credited to one of the conquerors of the ancient city.
             The laws were very clear and the punishments definitely fit the crime. It could very well be the foundation for "eye for an eye" that was practiced by the Hebrews. If you killed a man's cow, you owe him a cow. If you kill a man's son, your son will be slain.
             Surprisingly there are still thousands of documents and court proceedings in archives in various locations around the world. Provided the parties could come to an agreement they were free to come into a contract made up by the notary public, and confirmed by an oath 'by god and the king." It was publicly sealed and witnessed by professional witnesses, as well as by other vested parties.
             The Code classifies the entire population falls into three groups or classes, the amelu, the muskinu and the ardu. The armelu, was a man of pretty high standing, in fact the king and his court, along with professionals and craftsmen fell into this category. All in this category were subject to the same laws as the rest. In fact they were fined substantially heavier for the same offense. The muskinu wasn't considered to be poor, but he was landless. He was free, paid smaller fines and paid fewer offerings to the gods. The term muskinu came to mean "
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Code of Hammurabi. (1969, December 31). In MegaEssays.com. Retrieved 08:04, March 29, 2024, from https://www.megaessays.com/viewpaper/9593.html