One of the greatest things about artifacts is that you can learn about past people and their lifestyle. Artifacts can tell you what kind of houses certain people lived or even what type of material was used for their clothes. One artifact that tells us a lot about a past society is The Code of Hammurabi. The Code of Hammurabi was a set of laws created by Hammurabi, a native of Mesopotamia. After evaluating the laws, I concluded that Mesopotamia was an ancient patriarchal society that domesticated animals and had slaves. The vast amount of laws allowed me to draw this conclusion. Initially, based on the laws, I concluded that ancient Mesopotamia was a patriarchal society. For example, a larger number of the laws begin with “If he” and “If a man”. These beginning phrase demonstrate that that males were the dominate force in the society because laws were …show more content…
Animals such as oxen and donkeys (referred to as an ass) had laws for their practical use, value and justice if done wrong. For example, Law 268 says “ If any one hire an ox for threshing, the amount of the hire is twenty ka of corn” and Law 247 says “If any one hire an ox, and put out its eye, he shall pay the owner one-half of its value”. Both laws demonstrate the importance of the domesticated animals and agriculture in ancient Mesopotamian society. Ancient Mesopotamia held its animals in such high regard that veterinarians and veterinarian laws were created to provide care and justice for the animals. For example, Law 224 says “If a veterinary surgeon perform a serious operation on an ass or an ox, and cure it, the owner shall pay the surgeon one-sixth of a shekel as a fee.”. This law support my previous idea that ancient Mesopotamia held animals in high regard, but also that they were fairly advance to create a work field for animal care. Even though Mesopotamians had animals for agricultural work, they also had slaves for
Hammurabi was the sixth king of the first Amorite dynasty of Babylon. He supposedly ruled from 1792-1750 BC. During his rule, he wrote a code of law, which was the first to be translated from cuneiform. The code was written on several stone tablets so that all people could see them. It had a prologue, an epilogue, and 282 articles, and included rights for women, even though they didn’t have as many rights as men did.
Throughout the world, people consider The Code of Hammurabi one of the most important codes of law ever recorded in the history of the world based on what it tells us about the history of early Babylon. The code gives people a way to see not only how the society of Babylon developed early on but also how other civilizations were developing complex societies, which were similar to the Babylonians. However, the code also shows us how the role of written documents and writing is effectively portrayed in Hammurabi’s laws. This is effectively observed by analyzing what types of documents the code provides evidence for, what are situations and reasons in which Babylonians used writing, and if writing is the only acceptable form of proof. The Code of Hammurabi is one of the most important codes ever recorded because it shows us evidence of early principles of justice, which provide proof for early legal documentation; gives us observable, physical proof of the Babylonian beliefs for future people to witness; and shows us how written works are the only acceptable form of proof because of the historical accuracy of the work.
An anthropologist could read through Hammurabi's code and quickly see that the Babylonians had an efficient economy. In section 8 it refers to the Babylonians raising many domestic animals such as ox, sheep, donkeys and pigs. Leading us to believe that they were skilled at raising livestock. In section 215-217 it mentions a bronze lancet. This indicates he had some form of tools. A lancet was a medical tool that they used to operate on people and they were skilled enough to expect success. Section 218 mentions a surgeon. This would demonstrate that they had many jobs. These elements shown in Hammurabi's code would help an anthropologist studying Babylonian culture by showing them the
In the ancient times Babylonian king, Hammurabi, formed his code of laws, in the year 1750 BC. The code of Hammurabi consisted of 282 laws that were engraved in stone; this made the King believe the laws came directly from the sun god. Unlike earlier laws the code was written in Akkadian language, which was the common language of Babylon. The purpose of the code was to use governmental authority to make common bonds among the people of the Babylonian society.
Hause, S., & Maltby, W. (2001). The Ancient Near East: Mesopotamia, Egypt, Phoenicia and Israel. Essentials of Western Civilization (pp.7-15). California: Wadsworth.
Much can be learned about Babylonian society through reading the Code of Hammurabi. At a very basic level, the document itself and the materials used to produce it tell a lot about how advanced the empire was.
One of the most important aspects of any society is the ruling system. A society simply could not function without any sort of rules or regulations. With the tremendous growth of Babylonian society came the need for law systems. Perhaps one of the most well known law systems was Babylonian ruler Hammurabi’s compilation of Mesopotamian laws known as Hammurabi 's Code. Hammurabi 's Code contained laws pertaining to trade, marriage, property, crime, social class, and more (Judge and Langdon, 25). So much can be learned about early societies through this famous artifact. Although these laws may have been accepted by the Babylonian citizens at the time, it is now clear to see that the code was extremely unjust. Hammurabi 's Code uncovers the social
The Hammurabi Code is the oldest and most comprehensive set of laws in the world. The 282 laws set the structure for the civilization of Mesopotamia. Hammurabi, who was the sixth king of Mesopotamia, created these laws for a sense of order and peace. However, when investigating these laws further, they seem unfair and unjust for many reasons. People would be punished differently based on their class status. The punishments were harsher towards the freemen, rather than slaves. Although the Hammurabi Code worked to keep order and justice, discrimination existed between slaves and freemen, men and women, and adults and children.
The “Code of Hammurabi” is considered to be one of the most valuable finds of human existence. In fact its very existence created the basis for the justice system we have come to rely on today. The creation of “the Code” was a tremendous achievement for not only Babylonian society but for the entire Mesopotamian region as King Hammurabi was ruler over all of that area. Its conception can be considered to be the first culmination of the laws of different regions into a single, logical text. Hammurabi wanted to be an efficient ruler and realized that this could be achieved through the use of a common set of laws which applied to all territories and all citizens who fell under his rule. This paper will discuss the Hammurabi Code and the implications it had after its inception.
In the Lower Paleolithic humans had stone tools for hunting and survival. During the Upper Paleolithic, those tools became sharper, stronger, and longer, making them incredibly efficient. Other changes include more free time, the presence of cave paintings, and the growth of population. Those changes introduce us to the Neolithic Era, which involve the development of villages, which led to ancient empires like Egypt and Mesopotamia. Ancient Egypt had a vast selection of resources which were more valuable, the laws were not as harsh, and more opportunities for social class to advance. Therefore, Egypt is a more stable ancient empire than Mesopotamia.
In this chapter Walton presents how ancient civilizations were governed, through laws and how wisdom influenced the societies in their legal proceedings. The author begins the chapter talking about the treaties that are instructive and informative studies for the different societies. Between the most recognized treaties there were: Ur-Nammu, Eshnunna, and Hammurabi, among others. These treaties are classified into three classes: medical, legal and divination. These treaties influenced the societies imparting wisdom at the time of making decisions, to improve the quality of life and helped the government system to apply justice. These agreements helped to be aware of the good and the bad. These treaties were not laws, but acted as if they were.
A consistent characteristic among the first civilizations was social stratification. In most of the first civilizations, social hierarchies included kings, the elites, the working class, and slaves. Social stratification was evident in the Mesopotamian and Egyptian societies based off of the documents from the Babylonian Empire, The Law Code of Hammurabi, and the Egyptian student text, Be a Scribe. In the document The Law Code of Hammurabi, soldiers, farmers, salves, and other jobs are mentioned (96-97). In the document Be a Scribe, farmers, cobblers, soldiers, and various other jobs are mentioned (100-101). It is significant that these jobs are mentioned in both documents because it illustrates the similarities in these civilization’s social hierarchies. But, the similarities in their social structures do not end there. Special treatment based off of social standing was a consistent factor in both of these civilizations as well. This is clearly exemplified in Mesopotamia with the harshness of punishments for crimes being dependent on class (97). In Egypt, evidence of special treatment based off of social stratification is insinuated in the document Be a Scribe. This document delves into the negatives of having low class jobs and encourages people to become educated to grow in class rank (101). Despite these similarities, these two civilizations still held vastly different values and
Women in antiquity did not have an easy lot in life. They had few, if any, rights. Surviving early records of the civilizations of antiquity from ancient Greece, Egypt, China, and Rome suggest the diversity of women’s roles differed little from region to region. There were a few exceptions, mostly concerning women of nobility and the city-state of Sparta. Excluding the rare instances mentioned most antique women were generally limited on education, mobility, and almost all possibilities interfering with domestic or childbearing responsibilities. The limited social roles of women in antiquity suggest the perceived c...
The questions about the existence of life and the creation of the world are always mind-boggling and fascinating, however, the real answer to these questions may never surface. All there is to rely on are the myths, stories and legends passed on from generation to generation by ancestors and the clues they have left. This essay will try to uncover the ancient Mesopotamian and Hebrew views on existence and creation by looking at sources like the Genesis and other ancient Mesopotamian texts and poems. Mesopotamians and Hebrews had contrasting views on how they explained the events in their lives, and through analysis of ancient sources, those differences will be outlined. In such populated and booming areas, human conflict was inevitable and some of the law codes that were placed in effect to establish order within the society will be examined. Throughout it all, god and religion played a central role in these ancient civilizations.
Mesopotamia did not only have trade routes as a testament to its greatness, but a flourishing government as well. As Mesopotamia was racked with barbarian invasions, the rise of some of History's most fearsome and great leaders can be seen. Sargon I, for example, managed to unify one of the largest areas of civilization at that time. Sargon I is also noted having never lost a single war in his entire life. As well, with Mesopotamia, the first system-and indeed the most extensive in that point in time-of codified law. King Hammurabi's aptly titled system of codified law, the Code of Hammurabi, while seemingly harsh in today's view, was heralded as a just and fair law back in its day. History also shows that one of the greatest Ziggurats of all time was created in the land of Mesopotamia.. Nebuchadrezzar II's Hanging Gardens of Bablyon is noted as being one of the greatest marvels of the ancient world. With such a glorious string of leaders, it is obvious to conclude that Mesopotamia was one of the greatest civilizations ever to have existed.