Khammurabi (Hammurabi) was the sixth king of Babylon. King Hammurabi ruled from 1729 to
1750 BCE. Not long after he was crowned, Hammurabi expanded his empire until he ruled over
all of Mesopotamia, now known as Iraq. Hammurabi is famously known for the laws that were
enforced in his kingdom. Although the rules may have been strict, the punishments usually
resulted in the loss of a limb or death. There are 282 laws and punishments contained in the laws
of Hammurabi’s code.
Hammurabi’s code has been immortalized in a black stone pillar. The inscription stands seven
feet and four inches tall. Four tons of steel-like material made of black diorite hold the laws on
its surface. Flowing down the black stone is the 282 laws prestigiously …show more content…
Sitting above the laws is a relief sculpture of Khammurabi kneeling to receive the 282 laws
from Shamash (the Babylonian god of justice), who is seated.
Many different phrases have originated from the laws in Hammurabi’s code; for example, “an
eye for an eye.” Most people think that it originally was “an eye for and eye, and a tooth for a
tooth” but they are separate laws. “An eye for an eye” is rule 196 and “a tooth for a tooth” is rule
200, 1meaning if you were to being harm to someone’s eyes you would have harm brought to
your eyes, or if you knocked someone’s tooth out your tooth would be knocked out as well. In
the 21st century American justice system, “innocent until proven guilty” also came from
1 King, L. W., (2008)
Bryson 2
Hammurabi’s code. The statement, which we believe is “innocent until proven guilty”, …show more content…
This class was made up of the king, the
king 's court, the higher officials, the professions, and craftsmen. Lower class citizens paid less
for fine and fees but the punishment for their crimes were often gruesome, like slaves were put to
death for any severe crime. Gender punishment, for example, “men were allowed to have
extramarital relationships with maid-servants and slaves, but philandering women were to be
bound and tossed into the Euphrates river along with their lover.”4
Some of king Hammurabi’s laws from Hammurabi’s code were reasonably fair and should still
be enforced, like rule 48 which states "If anyone owe a debt for a loan, and a storm prostrates
(kills) 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." 5Although some rules were reasonably fair, others were not; For example, rule 110 states
“If a "sister of a god"(a nun) open a tavern, or enter a tavern to drink, then shall this woman
1750 BCE. Not long after he was crowned, Hammurabi expanded his empire until he ruled over
all of Mesopotamia, now known as Iraq. Hammurabi is famously known for the laws that were
enforced in his kingdom. Although the rules may have been strict, the punishments usually
resulted in the loss of a limb or death. There are 282 laws and punishments contained in the laws
of Hammurabi’s code.
Hammurabi’s code has been immortalized in a black stone pillar. The inscription stands seven
feet and four inches tall. Four tons of steel-like material made of black diorite hold the laws on
its surface. Flowing down the black stone is the 282 laws prestigiously …show more content…
Sitting above the laws is a relief sculpture of Khammurabi kneeling to receive the 282 laws
from Shamash (the Babylonian god of justice), who is seated.
Many different phrases have originated from the laws in Hammurabi’s code; for example, “an
eye for an eye.” Most people think that it originally was “an eye for and eye, and a tooth for a
tooth” but they are separate laws. “An eye for an eye” is rule 196 and “a tooth for a tooth” is rule
200, 1meaning if you were to being harm to someone’s eyes you would have harm brought to
your eyes, or if you knocked someone’s tooth out your tooth would be knocked out as well. In
the 21st century American justice system, “innocent until proven guilty” also came from
1 King, L. W., (2008)
Bryson 2
Hammurabi’s code. The statement, which we believe is “innocent until proven guilty”, …show more content…
This class was made up of the king, the
king 's court, the higher officials, the professions, and craftsmen. Lower class citizens paid less
for fine and fees but the punishment for their crimes were often gruesome, like slaves were put to
death for any severe crime. Gender punishment, for example, “men were allowed to have
extramarital relationships with maid-servants and slaves, but philandering women were to be
bound and tossed into the Euphrates river along with their lover.”4
Some of king Hammurabi’s laws from Hammurabi’s code were reasonably fair and should still
be enforced, like rule 48 which states "If anyone owe a debt for a loan, and a storm prostrates
(kills) 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." 5Although some rules were reasonably fair, others were not; For example, rule 110 states
“If a "sister of a god"(a nun) open a tavern, or enter a tavern to drink, then shall this woman