Why Is Hammurabi Important Today

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Hammurabi's code

Hammurabi's code is a set of 282 laws made by Hammurabi the ruler of Babylon for a certain period. It was engraved in stone and put in public eye. Hammurabi's code described the specific punishments for citizens that have broke the law. It covered the punishments for what we know as criminal and civil laws. It was used in Babylon Mesopotamia in 1795 to 1750 BCE. These laws are so important to society today because they were a historical breakthrough. It's the earliest form of law that we've been able to read and study because in 1901 a French expedition found a copy of the Babylonian king’s laws.

All of these laws showed a lot about them. For example one of the laws states “if a man put the eye out of another man his eye should be put out.” This has been summed up as an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. Another law that shows this is “if a man builds a house badly, and it falls and kills the owner, the builder is to be killed. If the owners son is killed then the builder's son is to killed.” These laws showed that they valued fairness. They thought everyone should be punished the way they harmed someone else. Another law is “if a son strikes his father, his hands …show more content…

It showed that respect was very important. The Babylonians valued fairness but there was a slight exception they valued, it only if the people had to be equal rank. or example, one of their laws

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