Kelly Halim

Hammurabi

Who was Hammurabi?

Hammurabi was an ancient Babylonian king of the first Babylonian Dynasty. He ruled Babylon from the year 1792 BC - 1750 BC. Hammurabi was the first king to have a written set of laws.

Where was he from?

Hammurabi was a king from Babylon, a city located in ancient Mesopotamia. Mesopotamia was located in between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers and it is now known as Iraq.

Map of Babylon

Hammurabi’s LawsHammurabi was most known for his laws. He was the first king to ever have a written set of laws. These laws are known as the Code of Hammurabi. The code consists of a total of 282 laws and it was written in around 1780 BC by Hammurabi himself. These laws were written in Cuneiform, which is a written language consisting symbols. Cuneiform had been used for thousands of years since 5000 BC. The code of Hammurabi was carved on an 8-foot high stone. According to Hammurabi, no matter if you’re rich or poor, if you broke the law and were found guilty, you shall be punished.

Where is the artifact held today?

The artifact is currently on display in the Louvre, a famous museum located in Paris, France. The University of Chicago, the library of the Theological University of the Reformed Churches, the Pergamon Museum of Berlin and the National Museum of Iran have exact replicas of the artifact.

Decode the Laws!

Law

#6

“6. If any one steal the property of a temple or of the court, he shall be put to death, and also the one who receives the

stolen thing from him shall be put to death.”

The law: If we steal from the temple or the court, we will be put to death. The person who receives the stolen object will be put to death as well.

The punishment: Put to death

My opinion: They should make the person go to jail instead of killing him. The person who receives the stolen object should not be punished because he might not know it was a stolen object.

Existence: The law doesn’t exist anymore.

Law

#17

“17. If any one find runaway male or female slaves in the open country and

bring them to their masters, the master of the slaves shall pay him two shekels

of silver.”

The law: If anyone finds a runaway slave and brings them to their masters, the master should pay the person two shekels of silver.

The punishment: -

My opinion: People shouldn’t ‘own’ slaves or become a slave.

Existence: The law doesn’t exist anymore.

Law

#16

2“162. If a man marry a woman, and she

bear sons to him; if then this woman die, then shall her father have no claim on

her dowry; this belongs to her sons.”

The law: A man marries a woman and they have kids. When the woman dies, all her possessions would go to the kids instead of the man.

The punishment: -

My opinion: I agree with this law partially. I think the possessions of the woman should be equally divided among the kids and the husband as well.

Existence: The law still exists in some countries.

Law

#20

0“200. If a man knock out the teeth of his

equal, his teeth shall be knocked out.”

The law: If anyone knocks out the teeth of another man, his teeth will be knocked out too.

The punishment: Teeth will be knocked out

My opinion: I think this law has it’s rights and wrongs. It is right because it is important for the person to know how much it hurts to have a tooth knocked off. It’s wrong because in my opinion, we should just ignore/avoid the person instead of revenge.

Existence: The law doesn’t exist anymore.

Law

#23

8“238. If a sailor wreck any one's ship, but saves it, he shall pay the half of its value

in money.”

The law: If a sailor breaks anyone’s ship, but then saves it, the sailor should pay half of the value in money.

The punishment: Pay half of its value

My opinion: If it is an accident, the sailor shouldn’t have to pay for anything as long as he saves the ship.

Existence: The law doesn’t exist anymore.

Bibliography

• "Hammurabi." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 27 Jan. 2013. Web. 28 Jan. 2013. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hammurabi>.

• "Mesopotamia for Kids - Hammurabi." Mesopotamia for Kids - Hammurabi. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Jan. 2013. <http://mesopotamia.mrdonn.org/hammurabi.html>.

• "Maps of Prophecy." Maps of Prophecy. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Jan. 2013. <http://www.teachinghearts.org/dre00maps.html>.

• "Phillip Martin's You Be the Judge of Hammurabi's Code." Phillip Martin's You Be the Judge of Hammurabi's Code. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Jan. 2013. <http://www.phillipmartin.info/hammurabi/hammurabi_codeindex.htm>.

• "The Code of Hammurabi." Index. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Jan. 2013. <http://www.sacred-texts.com/ane/ham/index.htm>.

• "Hammurabi, Most Likely - He's Got the Hanging Garden in the Background, so He's Most Likely Hammurabi of the Babylonians. Gallery." Civilization Fanatics Forums RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Jan. 2013. <http://www.civfanatics.com/gallery/showimage.php?i=1140>.