The Law Code of Hammurabi
The Law Code of Hammurabi
The laws that govern the world of today weren’t without some form of basis or foundation to go off of. As with most subjects, a precedent of sorts was established in the past. In particular, the Law Code of Hammurabi, who was a Babylonian ruler, administered a long list of laws that were depicted as originating from the gods themselves. It is through the creation of these rules that the differences between social standings and distinct classes, as well as the general insight into the society of that time frame are clearly evident. Even as this body of laws is claimed to have been bestowed upon by the gods, it is questionable if there wasn’t some degree of bias in their design, despite the endeavors to put the differing classes in equal terms as far as committing crimes went. It is through this body of laws that the society of today has been shaped as it has, even if indirectly and with much refinement. The age-old era of ancient Mesopotamia during which Hammurabi ruled was a time where the word of the gods was weighted heavily. In the minds of the monarchy, as well as the people, the laws set in place which were derived from the word of these gods put a certain perspective in place. And that perspective was that by violating the laws, it was an act of disregarding the god’s heavenly word. It was not only a means of controlling how the lower class individuals in the social status of the society would adhere to. Everyone was meant to abide by these laws, commoner or noble, as the principle ideal for those that broke the law would be subject to “an eye for an eye” sort of punishment. There was some degree of exceptions, however, which is especially true in the face of the aforementioned social statuses. In those times, an ordinary man harming someone of higher social standing, such as a noble, would be punished much more severely as opposed to him harming another ordinary man. On the other hand, for those holding power in terms of the
The laws that govern the world of today weren’t without some form of basis or foundation to go off of. As with most subjects, a precedent of sorts was established in the past. In particular, the Law Code of Hammurabi, who was a Babylonian ruler, administered a long list of laws that were depicted as originating from the gods themselves. It is through the creation of these rules that the differences between social standings and distinct classes, as well as the general insight into the society of that time frame are clearly evident. Even as this body of laws is claimed to have been bestowed upon by the gods, it is questionable if there wasn’t some degree of bias in their design, despite the endeavors to put the differing classes in equal terms as far as committing crimes went. It is through this body of laws that the society of today has been shaped as it has, even if indirectly and with much refinement. The age-old era of ancient Mesopotamia during which Hammurabi ruled was a time where the word of the gods was weighted heavily. In the minds of the monarchy, as well as the people, the laws set in place which were derived from the word of these gods put a certain perspective in place. And that perspective was that by violating the laws, it was an act of disregarding the god’s heavenly word. It was not only a means of controlling how the lower class individuals in the social status of the society would adhere to. Everyone was meant to abide by these laws, commoner or noble, as the principle ideal for those that broke the law would be subject to “an eye for an eye” sort of punishment. There was some degree of exceptions, however, which is especially true in the face of the aforementioned social statuses. In those times, an ordinary man harming someone of higher social standing, such as a noble, would be punished much more severely as opposed to him harming another ordinary man. On the other hand, for those holding power in terms of the
Cited: I. Title of Document Reviewed: The Legal Code of Hammurabi II. Western Civilization: A Brief History, Complete [Paperback] By Marvin Perry, Publisher: Wadsworth-Cengage Publishing; 10th Edition 2012 III. Link Used: http://www.fordham.edu/Halsall/ancient/hamcode.asp Link Obtained from the following approved source: Internet Medieval History Sourcebook: Link: http://www.fordham.edu/Halsall/sbook.asp