Early Civilizations Essay

Submitted By carpediem16
Words: 447
Pages: 2

The code of Hammurabi is very influential now as it was when it was prominent. The laws of our society today have many lightened aspects that can be associated with how Hammurabi would’ve handled non-abiding citizens. We now use one of Hammurabi’s laws as a moral code that we call the Golden Rule; which basically says: do onto others as they would want them to do onto you. They’re eternal.

Back in Hammurabi’s day, approximately 1772 BC, there was a lot moving around, unlike now where people have where they live, and usually where they’re going to stay. Hammurabi was the 6th Babylonian king, and people sometimes would pillage areas that were either not established governmentally, or that were unprotected. Hammurabi used his harsh laws as a deterrent, trying to keep people from even trying to “get away with murder.” Most of his laws have to do with contract, establishing, dues to be paid to people, etc. Others had to do with the liability of a builder for a house that collapses, or property that was damaged while in the care of someone else other than the owner. Also, a third of the laws cover issues of the domestic variety. There is only 1 law that pertains to accusations against an official, ad some pertain to military offenses. Our laws now are very similar to Hammurabi’s in that we also try to use common problems in our trials instead of processing frivolous cases. Hammurabi’s law codes dealt with, as ours do also, real injustices against people.

Although Hammurabi’s law codes are very similar to our laws now in what he considers actually breaking the law, and what’s not, Hammurabi had a more cynical way of punishing