Hammurabi's Influence: Establishing Laws in Ancient Babylon

Catherine Hackett – Classical Mediterranean History A Hammurabi essay With sophisticated civilizations growing rapidly, and the trade of writing becoming more and more common, there was great need for a set of rules in societies. People needed to be protected, and so Hammurabi, the leader of Ancient Babylon from 1792-1750 BCE, decided to create a law code for the land. He tried creating laws that would protect the weaker groups, and to help their society to grow stronger over time. For thousands of years before, civilization had been a lawless thing, in which there were no written rules, resulting in a large amount of adversities. Hammurabi’s purpose was to help his city become less barbaric, and become more powerful as a community. The

It encompassed a vast amount of subjects, people and classes, and made sure everyone was relatively safe and equal. The code allowed for justice to be promoted throughout Hammurabi’s rule, and although it used many harsh punishments as solutions, it was the ancient equivalent of the justice system we have today. It gave a sense of direction and advocated for people to be more loyal, for example, in law 22 Hammurabi says, “If a man has perpetrated brigandage, and has been caught, that man shall be slain.”[10] Again, while this can seem overly severe to many, in that time, it was the only way to make all citizens cooperate. With rigid laws in place, Hammurabi could be certain that nobody would break them, and if they did, he was able to set an austere example for others. Another concern in Ancient Babylon was keeping a man’s children in his bloodline; making adultery an abominable crime. Law 129 clearly reminds them, and reads, “if the wife of a man is found lying with another male, they shall be bound and thrown into the water…”[11] Nearly every misdemeanor possible came with a relentless punishment, promoting peace throughout all of Babylon. Hammurabi’s Law Code was promoted justice and stability for minorities like women, children, and low classes, to an extent that seems exceptionally prodigious looking back on it from modern times.

[1] The Search for Justice in Mesopotamia: The judgments of Hammurabi in The Human Record: Sources of Global History, Volume I to 1700, ed. Alfred J. Andrea and James H. Overfield (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2009), 15. [2] Ibid.

[3] Ibid.

[4] Ibid.

[5] Ibid.

[6] Ibid.,16

[7] Ibid.,14

[8] Ibid.

[9]