Code Of Hammurabi Dbq

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1. Although the Code of Hammurabi was not the first set of laws, it was a very effective code of law that unified people together according to acceptable behavior. Despite its intention of being a code of law to allow justice, the Code of Hammurabi affected people differently depending on their social class. At the time, the norm for dealing with slaves meant returning runaway slaves back to their masters. The Code of Hammurabi supported this norm, because the code of law did not favor slaves or those who did not obey the law. According to rule fifteen and rule nineteen in the Code of Hammurabi, free citizens were not allowed to hide slaves or allow them to escape. (King)Furthermore, rule seventeen provided an incentive, two shekels of silver, to encourage free citizens to return slaves back to their owners. (King)
The only benefits a slave had was insurance and the possibility of marriage. Insurance refers to a payment of money after an injury or accident. According to rule 199, if anyone caused harm to a slave, the man must pay half of the slave’s value. (King) Another benefit was, according to rule 175, if a slave married a free woman, then the offspring between them were free. (King)This rule gave …show more content…
From the viewpoint of a slave, the Code of Hammurabi put a lock on their lives. Not only will the slave have to serve for the required amount of time with no hope of escape or assistance, but also slaves were very cheap considering how valuable they were to their masters. The Code of Hammurabi illustrated the importance of slaves and the significant role slaves played in the economy by the strict rules regarding runaway slaves and repayment. According to rules 217 and 223, two shekels were given as a payment for a service regarding the slaves. (King) The Code of Hammurabi seems ironic because there are several rules and consequences for helping to free a slave, indicating the value of slaves, yet repayments or rewards were very small amounts of only two

Hammurabi Code Dbq

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Code Of Hammurabi Dbq Essay

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