Hammurabi's Code Dbq Analysis

Hammurabi’s code was a just law system that used the influence of gods and harsh punishments to scare people away from crime to maintain the order of his society. Hammurabi was an 18th century BCE king in Babylonia, in addition to his big title he was famous for the creation of a 282 law code. His laws were very exact in that there was a law for any situation. These laws are famous for the harsh punishments Hammurabi allotted for crimes committed by people living under his rule. The question asked when looking at his laws are were they just? But if you look at the categories of family, property and injury it is clear that they are. First there is the justness of the family laws. This justess is displayed throughout the many documents however it is most clearly represented in Document C where one law requires a man taking a second to keep his sick first wife where “ shall dwall in the house they have built together, and he shall maintain her as long as she lives.” (doc C, law 148) as seen in this law it is clear that Hammurabi’s code was made to protect those who can’t …show more content…

His property laws are basically insurance for those who are taken advantage of. Such as in Hammurabi’s code it states “If the robber is not caught the man who has been robbed shall formally declare whatever he has lost before a god, and the city and the mayor whose territory or district the robbery has been committed shall replace for him whatever he has lost.” (doc D, law 23) This is an example of how Hammurabi protected those who couldn't help themselves. There is also evidence that he supports the poor through the property laws was through a law that stated that” if a man has borrowed money to plant crops and a natural disaster destroys his crops he is not in debt to his creditor” (doc D, Law 48) Both of these laws as well as documents A,B, and C are a testimony that Hammurabi’s code was a just system that protects the weak and the