hammurabi s code
Hammurabi’s Code: You Be the Judge
Complete the chart below as your group examines and discusses cases.
Case Title
Social Class of Person on Trial
Judgment/Punishment (based on Hammurabi)
Citizen Accused of Stealing an Ox
Citizen
Put to death
Commoner Accused of Harboring a Runaway Slave
Commoner
Put to death
Commoner and Soldier Claiming the same piece of land
Soldier and a commoner
The field, orchard, or house shall return to its rightful owner.
Nobleman and Slave Involved in a Brawl
Nobleman and a Slave
-The slave shall get his ear cut off.
-The nobleman has to pay one half of the slaves value.
Builder Accused of Faulty Construction
Builder and a Nobleman
-The builder shall be put to death.
Man Seeking Divorce Without Financial Settlement
Husband and his wife
The husband will pay her the marriage portion that she brought from her father’s house
Farmer Refusing to Pay Rent
Farmer and the landowner
The person who owns the canal shall make good the crops that were flooded and ruined.
Woman Seeking Damages for Her Father’s Wrongful Death
Nobleman’s Daughter and the Villager
The owner of the ox shall pay half a mina of silver for a nobleman
Dispute Between Nobleman and Doctor over Patient’s Death
Brother of patient and the doctor
The doctor’s hand shall be cut off
Reflection Questions Answer the following questions in complete sentences.
How does class affect the type of punishment given based on Hammurabi’s Code? The more important you are the worse the punishments get.
Do you think Hammurabi’s Code is a good set of laws? Why or why not? I think that it isn’t a good set of laws because most of the punishments aren’t fair and maybe one thing could have been an accident but their punishment would be death.
Why was Hammurabi’s Code important for the development of civilization? It was important because this was their way of living.
Would you want to live in a society
Complete the chart below as your group examines and discusses cases.
Case Title
Social Class of Person on Trial
Judgment/Punishment (based on Hammurabi)
Citizen Accused of Stealing an Ox
Citizen
Put to death
Commoner Accused of Harboring a Runaway Slave
Commoner
Put to death
Commoner and Soldier Claiming the same piece of land
Soldier and a commoner
The field, orchard, or house shall return to its rightful owner.
Nobleman and Slave Involved in a Brawl
Nobleman and a Slave
-The slave shall get his ear cut off.
-The nobleman has to pay one half of the slaves value.
Builder Accused of Faulty Construction
Builder and a Nobleman
-The builder shall be put to death.
Man Seeking Divorce Without Financial Settlement
Husband and his wife
The husband will pay her the marriage portion that she brought from her father’s house
Farmer Refusing to Pay Rent
Farmer and the landowner
The person who owns the canal shall make good the crops that were flooded and ruined.
Woman Seeking Damages for Her Father’s Wrongful Death
Nobleman’s Daughter and the Villager
The owner of the ox shall pay half a mina of silver for a nobleman
Dispute Between Nobleman and Doctor over Patient’s Death
Brother of patient and the doctor
The doctor’s hand shall be cut off
Reflection Questions Answer the following questions in complete sentences.
How does class affect the type of punishment given based on Hammurabi’s Code? The more important you are the worse the punishments get.
Do you think Hammurabi’s Code is a good set of laws? Why or why not? I think that it isn’t a good set of laws because most of the punishments aren’t fair and maybe one thing could have been an accident but their punishment would be death.
Why was Hammurabi’s Code important for the development of civilization? It was important because this was their way of living.
Would you want to live in a society