They are of complete fairness and help protect the security and welfare of the people. These laws concerning property, personal injury, and family would soon shape the way of the Mesopotamian culture. Hammurabi's code concerning family law for example was highly proficient. It brought order and civilian rights regarding family affairs. For instance in Law 195, (Doc C), if a son is to hit his father he shall have his hands cut off.
The first reason that Hammurabi’s Code of law is unjust is the Personal Injury Law. In document E, law number 218 stated that if a surgeon operated with a bronze lancet on a free man for a serious injury and the man dies, his hands will be cut off. Also in law numbers 209 and 213 they stated that a if a man has struck a free women and the fruit of her womb is lost he pays 10 shekels of silver but if the man hit’s a slave women and she loses her froot of the womb the man only has to pay 2 shekels of silver. It might seem if the personal injury laws are absolutely just but they are really not because in law 218 the surgeon hands are cut of if he fails to save the man and in laws 213 and 209 the free women gets more shekels of silver then the slave women and also if the man hits the women and the fruit of her womb in not lost the man
So, he decided to make Hammurabi’s code with 282 laws organized by specific themes. Although a set of laws was needed, the severity of punishments in property and family laws sure outweighed any of the good laws he made. Hammurabi’s code was not just because of his family law. In law 129 it states “if a married lady is caught in adultery with another man, they shall bind them and cast them into the water” (Doc C) and that isn’t just because That’s not fair
In law 195 document C it claims that, ¨ If a son has struck his father, his hands shall be cut off.¨ Going on, law 129 document C states that, ”If a married lady is caught [ in adultery ] with another man, they shall bind them and cast them into the water. ¨ It would be easy to believe that Hammurabi's code of family law is just but actually it is not just. Law 129 is unjust because if a married lady cheats on her husband she gets thrown into the water but, if a man cheats nothing happens.
What’s so important about the Law Code of Hammurabi? Why does it hold so much value? What has it done in today’s modern day society? I find it to be one of those things that helped better this world. Providing an organized set of laws, it helped structure human civilization.
The Document “The Law Code of Hammurabi” we are given a reading of a list of what laws were for Mesopotamians. The document informs us, the readers, know the two hundred and two seven written laws are consider as the most informative about life in Mesopotamia in regards of justice and social regulation concepts. According to the document The Law Code of Hammurabi basic principles of justice, punishment and compensation in Ancient Mesopotamia don’t act appropriate are most likely lead to be killed if they cannot prove their innocents. One example of how they handle common crimes is the first law “if a man accuses another man and charges him with homicide but cannot bring proof against him, his accuser shall be killed” (25). Not only can someone accuse you
King Hammurabi was the sixth king of the Old Babylonia First Dynasty. Hammurabi goal was to centralize state authority and to create a new legal order. (Tignor et al. 97) King Hammurabi was the first king to record every single law of his empire. He had a black stone enbowed with the 282 laws of Babylonia.
The Judgments of Hammurabi are a set of laws that were written by a god. The laws were put in place “to promote the welfare of the people, to cause justice to prevail in the land, and so the strong might not oppress the weak.” The Tale of The Eloquent Peasant, depicts how a peasant has been robbed of his goods and how he eloquently appeals to the king for justice to be served. Both articles discuss; the division of a society’s social class, how gods/kings interpret justice and family relationships within the law. The Judgments of Hammurabi laid out the rules for Mesopotamian citizens.
In document C, Law 129 talks about how if a married lady is caught cheating on her husband, she and the man she was cheating with, get tied together and thrown into the water. Hammurabi should want his people to feel safe and be with whoever they want to be with. The husband may get mad at the lady, but getting thrown into water and drowning is really harsh. The woman would be scared. In Law 195 it states, “If a son has struck his father, his hands shall be cut off.”
The third code is family law. In law 195 it says, “If a son has struck his father, his hands shall be cut off.” The son should be punished however, cutting off his hands is very extreme. There is no age listed in this law and what if it was a child? In law 129 it also shows that the laws were unjust.
When looking at the Mesopotamian Society, one can use many sources, yet a great representative of the society are the Laws of Hammurabi, which dictate the lifestyle of the people of the Mesopotamian Empire. In this society, a woman is regarded at the property of the man. Whether the woman is another man’s wife, or daughter. The woman’s husband’s occupation also dictated her lifestyle. A free man’s wife is treated differently from a civil servant’s wife.
Hammurabi's laws that were concerned with family, property, and injury were unfair. Hammurabi's laws that dealt with family were cruel and harsh. In law 129, it states that if a married woman is caught cheating, the woman and the other man will be tied together and would be drowned. Although, the man who was
Funk and Wagnall New World Encyclopedia wrote, “The basis of criminal law is that of equal retaliation, comparable to the Semitic law of ‘an eye for an eye’”(“Hammurabi, Code of” 1). Hammurabi was the first to make the law code meaning he was the first to start the foundation for our law system today. He was the father of law and today his justice code is still apparent today. The code of Hammurabi was designed to protect the weak, which includes: women, children and slaves. Funk and Wagnall wrote, “It seeks to protect the weak and the poor, including women, children, and slaves, against injustice at the hands of the rich and powerful”(Hammurabi, Code of” 1).
Mesopotamian’ religion involved prostitution. Women who worked for the goddess, Ishtar, would “take care” of men who offered money to Ishtar’s temples. Men of all rank could hire these women; amongst them was the king himself. A type of trade took place amongt these men and women. The women would provide sexual favors, while the men provided an offering to the goddess.
Laws are always the core of a society and they often indicate a variety of lifestyle decisions made by those people. Hammurabi’s famous set of laws and Moses’ laws could be viewed as two completely distinct documents, yet both set of laws aide historians in revealing insight to the Hebrew and Mesopotamian people. In both societies, enforcing strict consequences that are equivalent to the crime is common. Hammurabi’s well known law states that, “if a man has put out an eye of a free man, they shall put out his eye.” Whereas, in the Hebrew laws, it states, “...if any harm follows, then you shall give life for life, eye for eye...”