A Look at the Code of Hammurabi

Code of Hammurabi (1750 BC) is the earliest records that show evidence of capital punishment.

To inform people of when punishment began or when the people first became aware that there was punishment.

The Code of Hammurabi is a collection of laws and edicts of the Babylonian king Hammuarbi. Hammurabis Code was engraved on a block of black basalt; it stood 7 ft. 5 inches. Between the years of 1901 and 1902, a team of French archaeologists found Hammuarabi’s Code in Susa, Iraq. It was broken into 3 pieces and was restored and placed in Louvre in Paris.

Where did Hammurabi get his idea of punishment? Hammurabi claims to have received the code from the sun god, Shamash. Quality associated was god is justice. The code begins with prologue that speaks of the extensive restoration of the temples and religious cults of Babylonia and Assyria. The code appears to be a series of amendments of the common law of Babylonia, not of strict legal code. It talks of direction for legal procedure and the statement of penalties for unjust accusations, false testimony, and injustice done by the judges; the laws about property rights, loans, deposits, debts, domestic property, and family rights. A section speaking of personal injury states that penalties were imposed for injuries received during an unsuccessful operation by a doctor and damages caused by neglect in other trades. Rates were fixed in the code for a variety of services in trade and

commerce.

Hammurabis Code had no laws dealt with religion. The basis of criminal law is for equal retaliation that is comparable to an eye for an eye. It offers protection to all classes in Babylonian society; it looks to protect the weak and poor, which includes women, children and slaves against injustice from the rich and powerful.

The code is humane for its time. The code ends glorifying the works of peace by Hammurabil and says the gods to cause justice to prevail in the land, and destroy the wicked and the evil called him. Hammurabi says that he inscribed his words on a pillar in order that the strong may not oppress the weak, that justice may be dealt the orphan and the widow.

During the reign of King Canute and William the Conqueror, the death penalty was not used, although results from interrogation and torture could be fatal. At the end of the 15th century, English law recognized seven major crimes treason (grand & petty), murder, larceny, burglary, rape and arson. By the 1800s, there were more than 200 capital crimes recognized and as a result from this 1000 or more people had been sentenced to death every year. Most of the sentences were commuted by royal pardon. Before the revolution in American colonies, the death penalty was used for a variety of crimes. Blacks were threatened with death for same crimes committed by a white man (punished less harshly), it did not matter if the black man was free or a slave.

Early societies punishment for a crime was left up to the family of the person wronged. The punishment that was given was cruel and by our standards today way out there for the offense committed. Torture and capital punishment evolved from old beliefs in vengeance. With society growing and centralization of governments, the right to punish the accused was given to the state.

At the end of the 18th century, a call for improved criminal procedure arose. Punishment was thought to be express vindication, but a means of protecting the laws from abuse by individuals in society. Deterrence and separation from society was the main purpose of punishment, not revenge. The length of the penalty depended on the crime committed. Having reforms lessened the amount of capital crimes, restricted corporal punishment, and abolished mutilation. Emphasis was placed on rehabilitation for the good of society and the criminal, not on punishment for its own sake.

 

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The Justification of the Greatness and Fairness of the The Code of Hammurabi, a Babylonian Law Code of Ancient Mesopotamia

Back in the B.C. era people punched pregnant women on the streets and nuns attended

church drunk until Hammurabi’s Code came into play and changed everything in Babylonia. Hammurabi’s Code was a spectacular set of laws that ensured peace, kindness, and that only the bad would get punished so citizens could sleep easily without fear of getting being or getting punched by somebody. There were many laws that reduced crime significantly; for example, if Hammurabi’s Code was not created then there would be surgeons who accidentally killed their patients. Undoubtedly, Hammurabi’s Code was great and fair.

Hammurabi’s Code was great because it brought order and justice to society and it regulated many activities. This was true because no normal person would commit the crimes that were in Hammurabi’s Code therefore only bad citizens received punishments. For example, one of Hammurabi’s laws was about striking a pregnant woman, but who would commit such a

horrific act of violence?

Another one of Hammurabi’s laws was about a person robbing a burning house, but doesn’t that seem a little strange? If someone robbed a burning house, they were obviously dumb or desired an item in that house so much because A: he or she could get killed by the fire or the house collapsing, B: If the house was on fire it would attract people trying to put out the fire and a crowd of spectators so he or she probably would be caught, and C: If he or she was caught, he or she would be subject to justice and thrown into the fire of the burning house so he or she

would die.

Yet another law was about if the wife of one man loves another married man and they kill their current spouses then both of them would be impaled. Why would a woman kill her husband and his new girlfriend? If the punishment was to get impaled no sane person would do

that.

Further evidence of fairness in Hammurabi’s Code was the fact that the punishment fitted

the crime. For example, in Hammurabi’s Code, if a builder built a faulty house and it killed the owner, then the builder was killed and if it killed the owner’s son then the builder’s son died. This law clearly shows that the punishment fitted the crime because the builder killed someone so the builder was killed, but in our world that doesn’t happen because we avoid killing people. One of Hammurabi’s famous quotes was “an eye for eye, a tooth for a tooth”. This means that if a citizen punched somebody’s tooth out, the criminal’s punishment is to have his or her tooth punched out. Another law was if a veterinary surgeon performed a serious operation on a donkey or an ox and killed it, then the veterinary surgeon had to pay 1⁄4 of the value of it. This made sense because the surgeon had to pay for killing the animal, but only 4 because the surgeon still tried to save the animal, so the surgeon didn’t have to pay full value. Also the laws are fair because the punishment fits the crime just as Hammurabi’s eye for eye expression because what you did happens to you which is very fair and keeps balance in Babylonia.

Justification that Hammurabi’s Code was extremely great and fair was because the punishment prevents the crime from happening again. For example, if a surgeon performed surgery on a patient and killed him, then his/her hands were cut off and he/she would never again perform surgery and risk another patient’s life. Another law states that if a robber was caught robbing then he/she was killed so he or she can’t steal. One last law that prevented crime was if a son struck his father, then the son’s hands were cut off. Moreover, the punishments scared people who had common sense so they did not commit crimes because they didn’t want to lose a limb, die, or lose money. Certainly Hammurabi’s Code ensured that people were kept safe from

criminals because of its fair laws.

Some might argue that Hammurabi’s Code was cruel and unfair, but they are naysayers

who don’t understand what true fairness means. They probably say that because of one slightly bad law against women. : if a woman wanted out of her marriage but the husband wanted to keep the dowry, the courts had to be involved, and if she wasn’t proven guilty, then she could leave and take her dowry and children but if she is the slightest bit guilty then the husband got to take the dowry and children. If the wife is extremely guilty, then she shall be thrown into the river for the river test. If she sunk then they believed the river god thought she’s guilty and if she floated then they believed the river god thought she was innocent. That particular law did not make Hammurabi’s Code horrible because there were many other laws that are good about women plus she got what she deserves because there is an enormous chance she was guilty if she gets punished. One favorable law about women was if a woman’s husband mistreated her, she could take her dowry and leave, so she doesn’t have to deal with him anymore. This proves that women have several laws on their side; plus, Hammurabi’s Code allowed women to own property. Women definitely loved Hammurabi’s Code!

Therefore, Hammurabi’s Code respected women and enabled them to be nearly equal to men. Hammurabi’s Code made sure only bad people were punished, the punishments always proceeded to be fair, the punishments stop people from committing crimes again, and the punishments scared people into not committing crimes. These critical reasons add up to the fact that Hammurabi’s Code was truly fair and great, and provided justice to Babylonia.

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Introductory Paper: Ethics – Code of Hammurabi

To many, ethics exist as moral codes that administer our decided actions, rights and wrongs, virtues, views, and principles. Ethics are incorporated in occupational fields (accounting, trade markets, science, etc.), fields of study, political stances, as well as decisions we choose to make each and every day. It is often that we obtain ethics or moral code from our family predecessors as they tend to teach us values of the family name. They ultimately shape who we are and exist as guidelines for our choices while determining our boundaries.

Basic ethics provide us with lessons that are usually taught when we are young such as, not to murder, steal, cheat, etc. and tend to be obvious decisions for most. However, what if we are presented with a decision where the result is uncertain? Some examples may include financial benefit accompanied at the expense of others or increased social status at the expense of individual health to name a couple. These examples are the true reason why ethics are necessary when we are presented with unsure outcomes. When decisions that lie between right and wrong, ethics are usually the determining factor behind the eventual choice.

Ethics have influenced decisions for many years. They originated wherever and whenever humans developed a morality code and could differentiate between right and wrong behavior. They begun when humanity developed the finest ways to live, which is where the first moral codes were introduced. Some popular historical documents that are perceived responsible for the origination of ethics include the Code of Hammurabi, the Old Testament, the Ten Commandments, as well as Mount Sinai in the Protagoras of Plato (1).

The Code of Hammurabi is a Babylonian code of law of early Mesopotamia, which dates to 1750 B.C. Created by the Babylonian King Hammurabi, it served as the basis for his rule and is one of the first examples of documented ethics. Over three-hundred laws made up the “code” which included “homicide, assault, divorce, debt, adoption, tradesman’s fees, agricultural practices, and even disputes regarding the brewing of beer” (2). Although these laws were groundbreaking towards the development of human ethics, they didn’t necessarily mirror what we believe is right and wrong today. For instance, “if a member of the elite blinded a commoner or broke the commoner’s bone, that elite person had to pay one pound of silver as penalty. On the other hand, if a person struck someone who was of a higher social status, then that person can expect severe punishment” (2). As you may imagine, the public hearings of the Babylonian culture weren’t always fair, however the code of laws were a step toward the basis of fundamental ethics.

In an era where technology is quickly increasing in occupational fields, social life, sciences, studies etc. ethics provide a basis of rules of which we can and cannot do. For instance, in the field of Biotechnology we often face these types of decisions. Some examples include animal and human testing, stem cell research, cloning, and bioterrorism to name a few. Animal and human testing tend to be a popular political battle and a subject the public feels strongly about. However, in biotechnology, ethics give us that baseline aimed towards scientific developments along with boundaries of how we may conduct those research and experiments. It does propose the issue of not being able to complete or test scientific advances but also remains in line with most people’s moral code. These issues will continue to create controversies as we move forward in the field of biotechnology.

To conclude, we as humans are constantly faced with decisions of uncertainty. Ethics give us guidelines for making those daily choices but are also blueprints for when we find ourselves in the gray area of right and wrong. Without them, we as humans would be condensed to the behavior of animals; hunt, eat, sleep, and reproduce.

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The Political System of the Government and the Code of Hammurabi

The Political System consists of subjects such as government, laws and punishments, organizations, leaders, the military, and other political institutions such as buildings. In the next couple of paragraphs, I will be expanding on the comparison between the Mesopotamian society and a civilization.

There are several rules under The Code Of Hammurabi that fall under political subjects such as laws and punishments. Some of these rules fall under the category of robbery. Robbery is illegal in all parts of the world and there are rules and punishments for it everywhere. If a man committed highway robbery in a Mesopotamian society than he would be put to death. If a man broke into a house, than he would have been killed before the breach and buried at that location. A civilization consists of a government; a government develops these types of laws and punishments. Also, there are laws under The Code Of Hammurabi that deal with the leaders during this time, such as the King. The King lives in a temple, and it is known that if a man was to steal goods from a temple, than he shall be put to death.

In addition, the man who receives the stolen goods from the temple will be put to death as well. This rule has relation to a monumental building because it deals with the Kings home and his personal belongings, which is another reason for us to believe the Mesopotamian society was a civilization. There is a rule in the Code of Hammurabi that discusses the punishments of a man who, in a capital trial, bares false witness, or does not establish the statement that he has made. This rule goes to show that in the Mesopotamian society there was a court system and most likely a building of some sort that would represent, what we would call today, a courthouse. Another point would be that when a builder has built a house for a man, and that house falls, consequently killing someone in the home, that builder would be put to death. If the owners son is killed when the house falls, than the builders son will be put to death. This example allows us to believe that there was organized labour in the Mesopotamian society.

Organized labour is another point that leads us to believe it was a civilization. There is a rule in the Code of Hammurabi that deals with the business of a surgeon and the technology he uses. It is said that if a surgeon operates with a bronze lancet on a patrician for a serious injury and ends up causing death than his hands will be removed. This gives us an idea of the type of business they had in the Mesopotamian society, such as medical workers, and the technology that they used throughout this time period. The last subject I am going to touch on is currency. When a life has been lost, the city or district governor pays the family of the deceased person one mina or silver. This informs us that the Mesopotamian society had a form of currency.

In the last paragraph I went through eight different laws on the Code of Hammurabi and came to the conclusion that the Mesopotamian society was a civilization, not a culture. The Mesopotamian society had laws and punishments, leaders living in monumental buildings, organized labour, forms of business and technology, and a form of currency. These are all strong reasons to believe that it was a civilization. Although these reasons have relations with the political end of the society, there are also associations with the economic portion of the Mesopotamian society.

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Historiography: Mesopotamia

Mesopotamia is a historical region located in the middle east. There are two rivers tat run through Mesopotamia the Tigris and the Euphrates. The name Mesopotamia is Greek for “land between rivers” because of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. These two rivers provided fertile land for civilization to thrive. Mesopotamia had its dominating kingdoms from the beginning of written history to the fall of Babylon. The history and historiography of this region is different.

History is the study of the past as it is written in documents. The history before written documents is called prehistory. Prehistory is given to the history of events that are in memory (Wikipedia). Historiography is the study of the methods of historians. The historiography of an event or topic is covered by historians and is studied how the historians have looked at the topic with theoretical approaches. The difference between history and historiography is simple. History is what actually happen that can be proved by documents and written history. Historiography is the way historians interpret history. This important to know because some history may be stretched from the truth depending on the source.

The story of Gilgamesh is some history some mythology. Gilgamesh was the king of the city-state of Uruk in Sumer. It is not clear the time of his rule, but it is estimated to be between 2800 and 2500 BC. In Mesopotamian mythology, Gilgamesh is the main character in the Epic of Gilgamesh. The Epic is an ancient peace of literature and is considered to be the oldest written pieces in the world. The Old Testament was written around 1000 BC and is the foundation of two large religions. The two stories are very similar even though they were written far apart in time.

The Epic is originally not an Epic but a bunch of short poems. In the later Babylon era, the poems were combined into the Epic, around 1600-1155 BC (Wikipedia). Gilgamesh was most likely a real figure that ruled Uruk, but the story was written well after he died. The events in the epic are probably just stories that were made to make the true events seem more interesting. The Old Testament takes place in Mesopotamia. The stories with in like Gilgamesh, were probably just twisted to make them more interesting.

The relationship between Gilgamesh and the Old Testament is that some of the stories are similar in both. The main similarity would be the flood story in Gilgamesh and the story of Noah in the Old Testament. After the flood in both stories, they show regret about there haste decisions and say that they won’t do anything like it again. In Gilgamesh, Gilgamesh sets out to gain immorality after Enkidu dies. Later he decides that death is not something he should avoid. In the Old Testament men are chosen to devote their lives to God, giving the men a purpose in life. In both books, Gilgamesh and the men give up their lives for something greater than themselves.

The history of Mesopotamia has influenced both stories but even though they have their similarities they are also different. It is tough to say if either is the correct history or if they are made up entirely. Gilgamesh was most likely a real king but the character in the epic is probably not him entirely but a collection of king or people that did stuff that was noteworthy. The tale was then most likely altered to sound more exiting to people who would listen to the story that was being told.

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Ancient Egypt Exam Study Guide

Egypt- Ancient Egypt was sustained by a river as well. The Nile river valley was named Kempt “the black land” because of the rich black soil that was deposited yearly by the Nile floodwater’s. The Egyptians were skilled in geometry which was important in measuring out the dimensions of property after the floods had destroyed old reporter lines. Religion was a major role in Egyptian society, so people made sacrifices to the gods in order to protect their families from the river. This Egyptian society is a great example of how the geography of the land can help shape almost every aspect of a society. . How can the Epic of Galoshes help historians better understand Sumerian Sumerian city-state of Rusk in the third millennium BCC and who was probably responsible for constructing the city walls, which archaeologists later determined had a perimeter of almost six miles. We can also look at how the society is described n the epic, and what kind of place, for example, women had in that society. Pig 17 3. How did Sumerian advances in technology help shape society in the Fertile Crescent? Civilization began in the Fertile Crescent, the arable plain of the Tigris and Euphrates river valleys.

The rivers deposited fertile soil in a rainfall-scant region. Irrigation and technological advances produced food surpluses for population growth. Sumerians, migrating from the north about 4000 B. C. E. , mixed with local groups to establish Mesopotamia civilization. Pig 9 4. What is the concept of matt and how did it influence Egyptian culture and society? Matt concept- truth, balance, order, law morality and Justice; Mat as a principle was formed to meet the complex needs of the emergent Egyptian state that embraced diverse peoples with different interests.

The significance of Mat developed to the point that it embraced all aspects of existence, including the basic equilibrium of the universe, the relationship between constituent parts, the cycle of the seasons, heavenly movements, religious observations and fair dealings, honesty and truthfulness in social interactions. 5. Compare writing systems of Mesopotamia and the Phoenicians. What are the advantages of each? Why are the systems so different? Mesopotamia Writing Systems- the Sumerians used a cuneiform; these tablets provided a valuable source of information of modern scholars.

Phoenicians Writing Systems- it contained thousands of characters each, meaning that it was much easier to learn a very much smaller writing system that encoded the limited number of distinct sounds (phonemes) in a language instead of trying to encode separately all the ideas that the language could express. 6. Describe and explain the differences in the Egyptian and Mesopotamia views of he afterlife. What primary sources can be used as evidence to help answer this question? Mesopotamia afterlife- There is no resurrection.

Egyptian afterlife- Mummification, which, the dead need their bodies in the afterlife. Pictures. 7. Why do the Phoenicians develop a simple writing system (alphabet)? It is much easier to learn and understand. 8. How might a simple writing system like the alphabet developed by the Phoenicians affect a society? It affects the culture, religion, and writing. 9. How does the religion of the Hebrews differ from most other religions of the ancient world? Use the Book of Exodus excerpt we have in our book as evidence for religions, sharing a covenant with one merciful God.

There is no direct punishment. There is a code of ethics which is the Ten Commandments. 10. What are the advantages of monotheism as illustrated through the experiments of Generation in Egypt and the Hebrew nation? What are the disadvantages? Advantages of monotheism of Generation- Sharing a covenant with only one God. Disadvantages of Monotheism of Generation- There are three, which are, impersonal, priests are now unemployed, and there is a new capital and monuments, which, drains resources.

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Essay on History DBQ

Ancient World: Civilizations and Religion Thousands of years ago, Ancient River Civilizations were thriving. At the time, they were like Paris, France, London, England or New York, New York; they were the places everyone wanted to be. These river civilizations established farming, formal religious rituals, governments, and writing and with all of these put together, they eventually became popular cities that created technology that made life much easier. You might have heard of many of these well known ancient civilizations such as: Mesopotamia,

Egypt, India, and China. None of these civilizations would have been known if they hadn’t made use of the technology and ways of living they developed. Ancient Mesopotamia, located between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, is one of the many well known river civilizations. Ancient Mesopotamia consisted of city states including Assyria, Babylon, and many others. According to Document #1 , at around BBC, Assyrian physicians came up with the brilliant idea of using bandages to reduce swelling and to heal wounds. Might this be where the creation of “Band-Aids” started?

It’s always a possibility; the Ancient Mesopotamia created this thousands of years ago and we kept the invention growing because it worked. With the creation of the bandage, the Mesopotamia gained some thrill points in the area of medicine. The idea that was probably thought of as absurd eventually ended up being a technology that everybody uses to prevent wounds from becoming worse than what they start as. Bandages are still being used and updated in the 21st century. Imagine bandages in the next hundred years! Bandages weren’t the only things Mesopotamia could boast about creating! Document #3 mentions that in

Babylon, between 600 and BBC, Manipulators, king of Babylon, started developing the building of the Great Ramparts of Babylon. However, by the time Unpopularity’s reign was ending, he had not yet finished the Great Ramparts. So his eldest son, Nebuchadnezzar, finished the Ramparts for his father. The finished Ramparts had a moat, 2 strong walls made of burnt brick circling the area, and fences 2. These Ramparts provided a type of safety barrier for the Babylonians. It protected them from the outside world; it was almost impossible from anyone to get in, and unless you knew a passageway, it was hard to get out.

The next River civilization is Ancient Egypt. Egypt, located near the Nile River, was well known for many things. These things included their new means of travel, their process of mummification, their pyramids, and many more! If you’ve read the Kane Chronicles Series by Rick Ordain, you would already have some background information in mind about Ancient Egypt. However, in case you haven’t read the book, the picture in Document #2 shows that when it came to transportation across the Nile, navigation was tough.

Not many people were able to get through the Niles cataracts, rocks, rapids and waterfalls and hill they were traveling across the Nile, things happened and they were never seen again. So, the Egyptians created a boat called a Baroque. The Baroque helped travel across the Nile become easier. Baroque’s were stronger than most other boats, so crashing into a rock once or twice didn’t cause much damage. The Ancient Egyptians were also huge on domesticating plants and animals. They domesticated as much as cows down to the papyrus plant that they used to draw this primary source!

The domesticated animals mainly helped with transportation on land and with food. The animals with higher populations could easily be killed to make food the same way we kill pigs, chicken, and cows to eat. The bigger animals such as cows could help carry things necessary to make even the smallest voyage into the desert. That’s not the only thing Egyptians are known for! While the creation of the baroque bought Egypt thrill points in travel and the domestication of plants and animals bought the same in farming, the Ancient civilization’s most known skill was mummification.

Document #4 describes the process of mummification. First, the embalmers, also known as the people who mummify the body, take out all of the body’s organs and store them in separate Jars. Each lung gets a big Jar, the heart gets a medium sized Jar, the eyes are removed and put in smaller Jars, so on and so forth. The embalmers then slice open the corpse and fill the stomach with spices and herbs to make sure the body doesn’t smell extremely bad after time. They then sew the body back together and put the body in salt for 70 days to mummify.

After the 70 days, they wrap the corpse in bandages bonded by gum and put the body in a caskets. This entire process was done to King Tutu, and other pharaohs of the time. The mummification process bought experience to the Ancient Egyptians on medicine and preservation. Ancient India is another river civilization that advanced over the creation and use of new technologies. Located in the Indus River Valley, India created very unique towns in comparison to most other river civilizations.

As shown in Document #6, Ancient India was an urban area with lots of streets and houses. Ancient India back then was similar to the Urbana of New York currently. There were houses from 1 story to 3 stories made of bricks, and these houses all had yards, Just like most houses in neighborhoods do. Each house was circled by a fence and right out of those fences we streets that led to other houses or other places. The ancient Indus civilization also had drainage systems in every house that led to the main street where there was lots of room to store the civilization’s waste.

I personally believe that the Indus River civilization was the most similar to America today because of the fact that their cities were so urbanize. Ancient China, located between the Yanking and Yellow rivers is the last major Ancient River civilization. China is well known today for exporting the majority of America’s goods. However, according to Document #7, during the 1 lath century BC, China was big with silk. If you’ve read Project Mulberry by Linda Sue Park, it tells a story of a young Chinese girl that does a project relating to the silk creating rates of silkworms in Mulberry trees.

This was called sericulture. In Ancient China, Chinese people domesticated silkworms to create tons of silk. They eventually ended up weaving that silk into clothing and embroidery and the Chinese Civilization started trading the silk the same way they trade goods today. The trading of the silk clothing ended up making the civilization richer and richer day by day! Silk wasn’t the only thing China had! According to Document #5, in the bronze age, the Chinese River Civilization suddenly doubled in strength.

During this time, they created horse drawn chariots, a new form of writing, their own calendar, and social classes. With all of these elements, China finally became a full civilization with technologies supporting it. To conclude, the four Ancient River Valleys started off as nothing, but eventually, with the help of technology, Mesopotamia, Egypt, India and China all ended up being lots more than what they started off as. The increase of the usage of cosmologies in the civilizations really helped them thrive as a whole and become the civilizations we know them as today.

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