Hammurabi Research Paper

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Have you heard of a man named Hammurabi? Hammurabi was the ruler of the Babylonian Empire for 42 years. He is best known for creating the Code of Hammurabi. The Code of Hammurabi is a series of 282 laws which compose what is perhaps the world’s oldest legal system. Both Hammurabi and his laws were often described as strict yet fair. For their time, the Code of Hammurabi is considered humane, and many of the laws are still considered reasonable today. The phrase “an eye for an eye” originated from Hammurabi’s laws and his strong belief in equal retaliation. These beliefs are easily seen in his laws and the punishment administered for them. For example, Law 55 states that “If a man, upon opening his canal for irrigation, became so lazy that he has let the water ravage a field adjoining his, he shall measure out grain on the basis of those adjoining his”. This means that if someone were to damage another person’s property they would have to pay for the damages caused. Many of Hammurabi’s laws were stricter than this but considered fair nonetheless. “If a man came forward with false testimony in a case, and has not proved the word which he spoke, if that case was a case involving life, that man shall be put to death”, this is Law 3 of Hammurabi’s code. Many of Hammurabi’s laws involve the death penalty. Another such law is Law 22 which…show more content…
Established laws and punishments were well known throughout the land. The laws were written down and literally set in stone. These regulations applied to all people regardless of class or gender. Although slavery did exist in Babylon, there were restrictions to the number of years they were kept in servitude and there were actually a few laws instilled to protect them. An example would be that a debt slave would be free after four years of servitude. Also if a slave was struck with an open hand, they were set free from

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