The Code of Hammurabi

The Code of Hammurabi is a set of laws that was written by Hammurabi, the ruler of Babylon. It is one of the earliest set of laws that was set up for a civilization, if not even the earliest. The code consisted of 282 laws that were carved onto an 8 foot high stone monolith. It was carved into stone so that the laws could not be changed.

Hammurabi was Babylon's sixth ruler. He started his rule in 1792 B.C. Hammurabi inherited the throne from his father Sin-Muballit. A little while after this, Hammurabi started to write the Code of Hammurabi. Unlike other laws, Hammurabi wrote the set of laws in Akkadian. He wrote it in Akkadian because, even though there were few people that were literate, that was the language that they spoke and read. Hammurabi died in 1750 B.C.

The Code of Hammurabi talked about many different aspects of life. He sorted his laws into groups such as family, labor, personal property, real estate, trade, and business. He also talked about witches and crime. The laws were harsh and sometimes even unfair, but since Babylon was the worlds first metropolis, the large population needed to be bound by a strict set of organized civil laws. The code was severe in its penelties, prescribing 'an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth'. The Code of Hammurabi has a very harsh punishment system that talks about both civil and criminal law, and defines procedures for both commerce and trade.

Although the Code of Hammurabi was written in Akkadian, it was carved in cuneiform. Once the set of laws was carved, it was set out for all people to see. The code is the longest code in all of Babylonian history. It consists of 36,000 lins of cuneiform and is 8 feet tall and 6 feet wide.

The Code of Hammurabi is alomost the same as the Ten Commendments. The Ten Commandments are similar to the Code of Hammurabi in a couple different ways. The Code of Hammurabi and the Ten Commentments share some of the same rules. These rules are honor your father and mother, do not murder, do not steal, do not commit adultery, do not bear false testimony against your neighbor and do not covet your neighbors things. Both of these sets of laws are very important to people today and to people in history. The Code of Hammurabi has changed society and history forever.