Because Justinian attempted to keep portions of the Mosaic law because of his own Christianity, Hammurabi's code, which influenced Mosaic law, continued to influence the legal system of cultures even into the Christian era. All three laws legislated both public and private life, including sexual life and family relations, and prescribed death as a punishment for a variety of crimes, including adultery (Norsoto). One major difference between the laws of Hammurabi, Moses, and Justinian was the "eye for an eye" concept of revenge. While this legal concept was prominent throughout Hammurabi's law, and clearly influenced concepts with the same premise in Moses' law, Justinian generally showed more compassion through sentencing, and did not include the concept in his code. Similarly, while Hammurabi's code often issued the sentence of death, and Moses' code followed suit, or at least prescribed bodily harm, the Justinian law instituted a more formal system of judges and jury in determining one's guilt, and sentences were often lenient for the first offense (Nosotro). Thus, Hammurabi's code can presently be seen in the evolution of legal systems of the cultures around him. Both the law itself, and the act of writing down the law, which can also be seen in Mosaic Law, have been passed down throughout generations and cultures because of Hammurabi's original decision. Although Hammurabi's code directly impacted the evolution of law and legal systems in Mesopotamia and the surrounding cultures, his influence has not been restricted to that particular geographical area. Instead, Hammurabi's code and act of formalizing the code through writing can be traced to the legal systems of today. Some suggest that the act of writing the code was the first implementation of human rights, a label others reserve for the Magna Carta, which would not arrive for several hundreds of years. Although it may be hard to grasp how a code that includes prescriptions of death for those who commit crimes such as having sex with a person to whom they are not wed can be considered a champion of human...
As has already been examined, the culture of the area viewed women and certain classes differently; all people were not "created equal" in Mesopotamian culture. For this reason, the law actually did protect the rights of women and the lower classes by formalizing what rights they did have, making it harder for those in authority positions to exploit these people. Because, in general, the chronological development of legal systems after Hammurabi wrote the code began to become more lenient and more focused on protecting the rights of the oppressed, some suggest that Hammurabi became a pioneer who launched a path of human rights and social justice that continued to grow until our modern era. In fact, the study of Hammurabi's code is an excellent example of history's expansion to include history's implications for women, minorities, and others who have been routinely forgotten by history in the past (Ralph 3-4).
One of the largest sections of Hammurabi's Code focuses on the family and the best ways that a family can protect and maintain itself. Another large section of the code deals with commerce and from this, the code looks into such issues as debt, interest, and default. What we learn from these sections is that the Babylonian society was one that was somewhat sophisticated and it attempted to deal with
Hammurabi Comparing the Code of Hammurabi with U.S. Law The Code of Hammurabi dates back to the second millennium BC (approximately 1772 BC). Consisting of 282 laws, Hammurabi's Code became the rule for ancient Babylonians, just like today's Americans look to the Constitution for their rule. Although separated by thousands of years, Hammurabi's Code and the laws of the United States actually have some similarities. They are also, of course, different in
A rich accuser was more likely to escape with a fine when a poorer person committing the same crime could be put to death. Ownership was considered sacrosanct. Even if a person lost his property because he was part of a losing battle, on return his property would be restored, failing that, it would be restored to his progeny. Loss in battle in interestingly described in the literal translation as
Hammurabi's Code Of Laws Hammurabi, King of Babylonia (from: 1795- 1750 BC ), was the greatest ruler of the Babylonian dynasty. During his reign, he extended his empire northward from the Persian Gulf through the Tigris and Euphrates river valleys (the present day Iraq) and westward to the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. Apart from his considerable achievements as a military leader and administrator, he is primarily remembered for his codification of
Code of Hammurabi -- exodus A Comparison/contrast Between the codes of hammurabi & THE BOOK OF EXODUS Sometime in the early fourth millennium B.C.E. In Mesopotamia (currently Iran, Iraq and formerly Persia), a very critical event occurred which changed the face of civilization, namely the settlement of the great river valley bounded by the rivers Tigris and Euphrates. It was after this pivotal event that writing, art, architecture and new political forms were
Code of Hammurabi Hammurabi, the king of Babylonia in the eighteenth century B.C., developed an extensive legal system that came to be known as the Code of Hammurabi. The code covered topics such as military service, family life, and commercial and criminal law ("Hammurabi" 1). The King stated that the laws had been given to him by the Sun God and the God of Justice, Shamash, for him to carry out.
Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.
Get Started Now