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