Compare The Epic Of Gilgamesh And Hammurabi Code

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A primary source is a document or physical object which was written or created during the time under study. These sources were present during an experience or time period and offer an inside view of a particular event. Primary sources can be original documents, creative works, and relics or artifacts. They are created by witnesses or recorders who experienced the events or conditions being documented. Primary sources provide first-hand testimony or direct evidence concerning a topic under investigation. Two primary sources, The Epic of Gilgamesh (2700 B.C.E.) and Hammurabi’s Code (1800 B.C.E.), give historians and readers first hand documentation of historic events and, also, share many similarities and differences. The Epic of Gilgamesh, …show more content…

His law code provides us with a rare insight into the daily life of ancient urban society. The Code has 282 specific legal codes. A few of the subjects carried out in the code are property and theft, economics and contracts, family and marriage, assault and personal injury, and responsibility and liability. Hammurabi’s code tells us a lot about early Mesopotamian law and culture. The code reveals a strict punishment, typically resulting in death, for individuals committing theft. Keeping to one’s own material possessions was extremely important. Furthermore, when a man alters the economic success of another individual, he must repay that person for their lost. Equality was extremely important when it came to following the law, so that others would not suffer financially as a result. For example, if a man cuts down a tree in another man’s orchard without the permission of the owner of the orchard, he shall weigh and deliver 30 shekels of silver. Surprisingly, Hammurabi’s Law also protected the right of woman more than I had anticipated when it pertained to marriage and family. Men were not favored more than their female counterparts. As well, assaulting another individual meant even more physical harm to the individual performing the act. These assault and personal injury reflected the philosophy, treat others the way you want to be treated. Finally, individuals …show more content…

Both sources give historians and readers a deeper insight into the culture and lives of Mesopotamians. They both reflect how citizens during this time lived their daily lives. They both contrast one another, whereas The Epic of Gilgamesh was passed down by word and then was written down. While Hammurabi’s Code, was written down by Hammurabi himself amid the time these laws were in place. They differ from how Hammurabi’s Code was written law and The Epic of Gilgamesh was a story about the ancient King of Sumer, Gilgamesh. Two primary sources, The Epic of Gilgamesh (2700 B.C.E.) and Hammurabi’s Code (1800 B.C.E.), give historians and readers first hand documentation of historic events and, also, share many similarities and

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