Hammurabi Propaganda

Political propaganda is widely favored by political leaders as a way to either reaffirm their authority or to appeal to the public. It is often portrayed as a necessary element in attaining social order, or even social stability, within a civilization. Hence, we often see political propaganda working in concert with imagined orders. The concept of imagined orders serves as a facilitating force in furthering a leader’s political agenda because it is not based on fundamental truths, but is rather based on the common beliefs that people within a single civilization shared with one another. Political propaganda is at its peak in ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia and Rome due to the clever manipulation of imagined orders by the rulers. As part of a propaganda

The act of making the set of laws accessible to everyone further lays down the common expectations of society and provides the people with a sense of assurance. In reality, this is nothing but a mere act of populism to earn the trust and faith of the public as mentioned in lecture by Dr. McGuire (#). Ultimately, the laws themselves have two central purposes: 1) to justify Hammurabi’s absolute authority as a ruler to create laws 2) to give the public the illusion of free will and justice. In the introduction, Hammurabi reasserts his divine power, directly granted by the gods of Anu and Marduk, to “rule over men, to give the protection of right to the land... and brought about the well-being of the oppressed.” (*). This lengthy prologue acts as a form of political propaganda so that the people will not have the opportunity to question Hammurabi’s authority. The Code of Hammurabi serves as a tool to implement a sense of imagined orders by deluding his subjects into believing that universal justice will prevails if every members of society abide to these

Just like Hammurabi, Augustus publishes his lists of achievements in public for all to see by having them engraved in bronze pillars outside of his mausoleum in Rome (*). The lists of achievements are used to show his absolute devotions to the state and to the Roman people. Augustus wants to preserve a lasting record of his accomplishments to further glorify his reign. He purposely omits the cruel and lengthy process of Roman acquisitions of nearby regions like Egypt and simply resorts to “I added Egypt to the Empire of the Roman People.” (*). He went on listing his credentials as a just leader and at the same time, placing heavy emphasis on his charity works: “In my own name donate...buying grain at my own charges…from my own means.” (*). All of the claims made above serve a sole purpose to legitimize and aggrandize the actions of Augustus throughout his reign. Through a series of bribery and donations, Augustus is able to plant a false notion of peace, honor, and prosperity in the state of Rome as a form of imagined orders. Augustus, having done so, reassures many troubled hearts of Roman citizens who intensely fear the manifestation of another tyrannical