The Code of Hammurabi

Hammurabi ruled Babylon from about 1792 to 1750 BCE. He is noted for his surviving set of laws, which
were inscribed on a stela in Babylon's temple of Marduk. Hammurabi's Code was once considered the
oldest promulgation of laws in human history, though older, shorter law collections have since been
found. The theme of the code of Hammurabi is to make justice visible in the land, to destroy the wicked
person and the evil-doer, that the strong might not injure the weak. My expectation is that this code is
the way to establish justice in the country and to prevent the powerful from harming the helpless.

The Hammurabi code of laws have three parts there are sections 1 – 5 procedural law, sections 6 – 126
property law and sections 127 – 282 the law of persons. The Hammurabi code of laws, a collection of
282 rules, established standards for commercial interactions and set fines and punishments to meet the
requirements of justice. Hammurabi's Code was carved onto a massive, finger-shaped black stone stele
(pillar) that was looted by invaders and finally rediscovered in 1901. These 282 case laws include
economic provisions (prices, tariffs, trade, and commerce), family law (marriage and divorce), as well as
criminal law (assault, theft) and civil law (slavery, debt). Penalties varied according to the status of the
offenders and the circumstances of the offenses. The Code of Hammurabi includes many harsh
punishments, sometimes demanding the removal of the guilty party's tongue, hands, breasts, eye or ear.
But the code is also one of the earliest examples of an accused person being considered innocent until
proven guilty. One of the punishment is if a man broke the bone of one his equals, his own bone would
be broken in return.

Hammurabi was a just ruler who cared about his people's well-being. He reshaped the region, ordering
the construction of irrigation ditches to increase agricultural productivity and supplying cities with
protective walls and fortresses. The Hammurabi code of laws is beneficial to the people because it
assists them in establishing justice in their country, and it also prevents other powerful people from
harming the helpless and poor. I noticed that the Hammurabi's Code was unjust because the laws
pertaining to family life, property law, and personal injury were unfair and the evidence shows that the
Personal Injury Laws did not protect all people equally, that the Property Laws' punishments were too
severe, and that the Family Laws can result in someone's death.