Modern U.S Criminal law can trace its origins to a stone tablet known as the Code of Hammurabi which many scholars theorize to have been written in the year of 1790 B.C. by a King called Hammurabi who ruled Babylonia during the years of 1792-1750 B.C. The Code of Hammurabi is one of the major influences in which the U.S criminal justice system derives a great deal of legal concept and procedures. It is evident in making lying under oath into a crime, including written contracts, judges and juries it also made the swearing in of witnesses a staple of the court process. There are other influences that helped develop U.S criminal law concepts this includes aspects from Roman law essentially Latin medical terms, bits of French and Spanish
