Code of Hammurabi

The Code of Hammurabi is an Babylonian code of law. It is dated way back to 1772 B.C. It was created by the Babylonian ruler Hammurabi, the sixth king of Babylonia. The code of Hammurabi is known as one of the first written laws in the world. People see the code as "an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth" so basically you get onto you as what you have done onto others and one of the laws in the code was if you put out a mans eye you shall get your eye  put out. I think most of the punishments seem a bit harsh and unfair in present day like one code is if you steal somebodies son you shall be put to death or if someone is caught stealing anything that they shall also be put to death.It contains over 282 laws that the Babylonians must follow or face the punishments. The laws include property and commerce, like debt and interest and loans. Some other laws include marriage, like adultery, incest and inheritance. There are also laws about crimes like stealing, and falsely accusing a person. The Code itself is written on a stele, a very large stone and is know as the longest surviving text of the Babylonia period. This Ancient code is significant because it is the first that had the innocent till proven guilty which is used in our American court system to this day. It also used evidence and fact to determine guiltiness of the accused party and it was one of the first forms of common law which is used in many forms of law systems today like the U.S legal system.

 

Works Cited

"The Code of Hammurabi." Code of Hammurabi: 1750 BC. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Oct. 2012. <http://www.thenagain.info/webchron/middleeast/hammurabicode.html>.

"The Code of Hammurabi." The Code of Hammurabi. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Oct. 2012. <http://www.historyguide.org/ancient/hammurabi.html>.

"Code of Hammurabi." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 10 Feb. 2012. Web. 05 Oct. 2012. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Code_of_Hammurabi>.

"What's so Important about the Code of Hammurabi?" HowStuffWorks. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Oct. 2012. <http://history.howstuffworks.com/historical-events/code-of-hammurabi.htm>.