Saturday 15 November 2014

What does Hammurabi’s Code reveal about societal values and realities?

Hammurabi's Code, found in modern-day Iran in 1901, is a collection of 282 laws inscribed on a pillar during the reign of Hammurabi, the king who ruled Babylonia from 1792-1750 BCE. The set of laws governed all people in Hammurabi's empire, showing a sense of fairness and justice. Although there were differing laws for the nobility, for common people, and slaves (reflecting the existence of social hierarchy), many of the laws governing the upper classes...

Hammurabi's Code, found in modern-day Iran in 1901, is a collection of 282 laws inscribed on a pillar during the reign of Hammurabi, the king who ruled Babylonia from 1792-1750 BCE. The set of laws governed all people in Hammurabi's empire, showing a sense of fairness and justice. Although there were differing laws for the nobility, for common people, and slaves (reflecting the existence of social hierarchy), many of the laws governing the upper classes were harsher than those for other people. In addition, if a person accused another person wrongly of a capital crime, the accuser would be put to death. The law reflected a sense of fairness and built in protections for the accused. In addition, women were granted certain rights, such as the right to buy or sell land or get a divorce. 


Many of the laws are about property, showing that the Babylonian society valued property rights. For example, if someone was found committing a robbery, that person was put to death. In addition, the laws showed that the society valued hierarchy and social and familiar order; for example, a son who struck his father would be punished by having his hands cut off.


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