Hammurabi Code Analysis

King Hammurabi’s code of laws was a reflection of their society. His set of 282 laws that were used to help govern his empire were set in stone over 3,000 years ago. These laws give clues to what life was like in the Babylonian society. Swift and just punishments were placed upon the offenders which kept crime levels down. These laws branched off of two different types of offenses; criminal and civil. Criminal offenses were larger crimes involving killing and theft. Civil offenses were more about family matters and marriage. Hammurabi’s code was meant to bring order to society and make sure everyone knew the laws so the empire would be successful. The two types of laws in the code were civil and criminal laws. Criminal laws had to do with robberies, assault, and murder while civil laws had to do with legal matters which were about rights. The code had no sympathy whatsoever for robbers because the penalty

The code shows that the Babylonians had a complex society and an advanced one that would govern the people. The laws were put in place to have a successful empire and depending your social status determined how strict the laws could be. Seignior’s could get around death and having harsher punishment that people from lower classes would receive. The code gives barely any power to women whatsoever. In the Babylonian society everyone was not equal especially based on gender. Depending on the rank they were in the social hierarchy determined how much power each person had in the society. Women could have more power than men, but they would have to be from a lower class. The code of Hammurabi tells us that social status meant everything because the higher class a citizen was in the easier their lives would be. The code shows what life was like in Babylonian society and was meant to ensure that everyone would follow the laws in his