Code Of Hammurabi Dbq

Approximately four-thousand years ago, which is forty centuries ago, one man named Hammurabi ruled and became a king of a city-state named Babylon. Hammurabi is best known for his two-hundred-eighty-two laws for people who live in Babylonia. He ruled for 42 years and the first 30 years old ruling he mostly controlled the city Babylon. He ruled over about a million people. His laws were carved in a pillar-like stone called a stele. As in theory, historians believed that several inscribed steles were placed around the kingdom. But only one intact has been found and is now in a museum in Paris, and his laws were written in Cuneiform. Cuneiform is a writing developed by Sumerians in Mesopotamia. The writing is written in wedged-shaped characters.

In Document E, law 196 says “If a man has knocked out the eye of a free man, his eye shall be knocked out.” This law is fair, it has an equal punishment and the person doing the crime should feel the same way. Document E, Law 199, says “If he has knocked out the eye of a slave… he shall pay half his value.” The slave is property and needs to be paid back for the damage and the one who did the crime can’t just say sorry. On Document E, law 215 it says, “If a surgeon has operated with a bronze lancet on the body of a freeman…and saves the man’s life, he shall receive 10 shekels of silver.” It is fair because the surgeon had saved another person’s valuable life, a reward is needed for this surgeon. Overall, King Hammurabi has just terms on Personal Injury with fair reasons and punishments protecting the weak people of Babylonia. Hammurabi was the first Mesopotamian ruler have his code the most complete. After thinking of war, he gave way to peace, then turn into justice. Historians study his laws and found a better knowledge of the Babylonian society about its work, family life, social structure, trade, and government. Hammurabi’s code was just because of its family law, property law, and personal injury law. Hammurabi is just with his fair and justifiable code for order and justice to Hammurabi’s