'The Law ' Assignment (Dennis Zhang): After reading, answer the following questions on Canvas. What is lex talionis? Lex talionis is the idea of justice where a person who injures another should be inflicted with the same injury. This form of justice is also known as "eye for an eye". In what ways is a universal legal code an advantage in ruling an empire? (Can you think of any disadvantages?) A universal legal code could be advantageous as a universal set of laws and punishments (across all lands in the nation) would resolve the problem of choosing certain set laws over others and standardize penalties to specific crimes (so no alterations may occur). However, it may also be disadvantageous as universal laws may not fit the nation 's …show more content…
How many and what kinds of laws were included in the Code of Hammurabi? There was a total of 282 degrees (or laws) in the Code of Hammurabi. These laws mainly addressed witchcraft, property, and trade crimes - based mostly on the concept of lex talionis. Essentially, like most laws, they addressed certain crimes with the proper punishments for them and set certain standards in the aforementioned areas. Why do you think Hammurabi included a curse at the end of the code? While the Babylonians believed strongly in the supernatural, a curse at the end served as more than simply a 'hopeful wish for obedience ' and more as a warning and threat. Among the Ten Commandments, which deal with criminal matters? religious matters? other? Laws in Hammurabi 's Code were divided into groups which addressed the same topic. One group described different types of crimes, in which crimes against property were the most harshly punished. Another was about witchcraft and how witches should be tried, judged, and punished accordingly. Other types included the different methods of appropriate punishment (sometimes harsh), the rules for trading, and laws about marriage, families, borrowing and lending, and about irrigating fields - basically every aspect of