Hammurabi code of laws

1. HAMMURABI
“The Priest King”

2. What are the positive and negative
aspects of people starting to live in
villages?POSITIVE:
Protection from
danger
Greater supplies of
food
Opportunity for trade
New jobs
NEGATIVE:
Army, taxes, slavery
Waste disposal
Governing
large groups
of citizens

3. The Code of Hammurabi dates back to about 1772
BC. The Code consists of 282 laws with scaled
punishments as graded depending on social status,
of slave versus free man.

4. The Code was written in
a diorite (a volcanic rock)
stele of 2.25 metres. The
Code is inscribed using
cuneiform script carved
into the stele. At the top
of the stele Hammurabi
is represented standing
in front of the god of the
Sun Shamash.

5. During the various
invasions of Babylon, the
code was taken around
1200 BC to Elam (now
West Iran). In 1901 a
French archaeological
expedition found the
Code and was taken to
France where actually is
displayed at Louvre
Museum.

6. Hammurabi’s Code of Law
When Marduk sent me to rule over men, to give
the protection of right to the land, I did right
and in righteousness brought about the well-
being of the oppressed.

7. The rulers of ancient Babylon believed that the
gods had entrusted them to deal fairly with their
people. These laws were to protect the oppressed
and safeguard human rights. Hammurabi called
himself the "king of justice to whom Shamash has
committed the truth".
Next are situations Hammurabi faced. Decide what
you think to be a fair way to deal with the
problem. Would Marduk, the supreme god, be
pleased with your decisions?

8. You are the judge of
Hammurabi’s Code

9. What should be done to the
carpenter who builds a
house that falls and kills the
owner?

10. What should be done when
a "sister of god" (or nun)
enters the wine shop for a
drink?

11. What happens if a man is
unable to pay his debts?

12. What happens to the wine
seller who fails to arrest bad
characters gathered at her
shop?

13. What should be done if a son
is adopted and then the
birth-parents want him
back?

14. What should be done about
a wife who ignores her
duties and belittles her
husband?

15. How is the truth determined
when one man brings an
accusation against another?

16. What should happen to a
boy who slaps his father?

17. What should be done to the
carpenter who builds a
house that falls and kills the
owner?
Hammurabi Decrees in
Code 229:
If a builder builds a house for
a man and does not make its
construction sound, and the
house which he has built
collapses and causes the
death of the owner of the
house, the builder shall be
put to death.

18. What should be done when
a "sister of god" (or nun)
enters the wine shop for a
drink?
Hammurabi Decrees in
Code 110:
If a "sister of god" (nun)
who is not living in a
convent opens a wine shop
or enters a wine shop for a
drink, they shall burn that
woman.

19. What happens if a man is
unable to pay his debts?
Hammurabi Decrees in Code
117:
If a man be in debt and is unable
to pay his creditors, he shall sell
his wife, son, or daughter, or
bind them over to service. For
three years they shall work in
the houses of their purchaser or
master; in the fourth year they
shall be given their freedom.

20. What happens to the wine
seller who fails to arrest bad
characters gathered at her
shop?
Hammurabi Decrees in
Code 109:
If bad characters gather in
the house of a wine seller
and she does not arrest
those characters and bring
them to the palace, that
wine seller shall be put to
death.

21. What should be done if a son
is adopted and then the
birth-parents want him
back?
Hammurabi Decrees in
Code 185:
If a man takes in his own
home a young boy as a son
and rears him, one may not
bring claim for that adopted
son.

22. What should be done about
a wife who ignores her
duties and belittles her
husband?
Hammurabi Decrees in
Code 143:
If the woman has not been
careful but has gadded
about, neglecting her house
and belittling her husband,
they shall throw that
woman into the water.

23. How is the truth determined
when one man brings an
accusation against another?
Hammurabi Decrees in Code 2:
If any one bring an accusation against a
man, and the accused go to the river and
leap into the river, if he sink in the river his
accuser shall take possession of his house.
But if the river prove that the accused is
not guilty, and he escape unhurt, then he
who had brought the accusation shall be
put to death, while he who leaped into the
river shall take possession of the house
that had belonged to his accuser.

24. What should happen to a
boy who slaps his father?
Hammurabi Decrees in
Code 195:
If a son strike his father, his
hands shall be hewn off.

25. Clay Tablet Time
Write a letter to the editor
of the Babylonian Times. In
the letter, you must clearly
state the code number they
are discussing, their opinion
of the code, and why you feel that way. If you
disagree with the code, you should offer suggestions
for Hammurabi to consider.