Hammurabi Research Paper

"An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth" is a well-known phrase that originated back in ancient Mesopotamian culture. This phrase is nothing more than a paraphrase of The Law Code of Hammurabi, a collection of 282 laws created under the rule of Hammurabi, one of the most famous Mesopotamian kings. Hammurabi claimed that the laws were created to establish justice and fairness and equalize society by protecting the weak from the strong. However, Sumerians, the people of Mesopotamia, were treated differently under the law based off social status, gender, and economic status.
The Law Code of Hammurabi was created under the rule of Hammurabi, one of the most celebrated Mesopotamian kings. Hammurabi was the ruler of Babylon, which he expanded …show more content…
For example, "If a man's wife be surprised with another man, both shall be tied and thrown into the water, but the husband may pardon his wife and the king his slaves" ("Code of Hammurabi”). This example of Hammurabi’s code shows that a woman's sexuality should be surrendered to ensure her devotion to her husband. In a marriage, a woman's sexuality became property of her husband, while the husband was free to have relations and intercourse with whoever he wanted. Also, in the family household, wealth was either controlled by the husband or father. Additionally, under Hammurabi’s code, motherhood was acknowledged, but fatherhood was not; therefore, a man had no true obligation to their children if they did not want them. With so many restrictive laws on women, men typically viewed them as slaves or property. As long as these codes were executed and there were endless restrictions on marriage, money, and work opportunities, then it was impossible for a woman to achieve gender …show more content…
An example in the code is, "If he breaks another man's bone, his bone shall be broken" ("Code of Hammurabi”). The morals set by the code support the "eye for an eye" type of punishment. This form of punishment was straightforward and easily understandable for people that were illiterate or unable to understand complex forms of punishment. Since Hammurabi's code was the first written set of rules that stated what can and cannot be done, the structure of human morals was thoroughly elaborated on. Also, the extremely strict morals were set in place to cause fear in the people of Mesopotamia. The patricians wanted to preserve their power and that wouldn’t have been possible if the lower classes consistently rebelled against their authority. Therefore, they attempted to introduce very strong morals into the people which caused extreme fear.
One of the earliest ancient legal codes was created by the Mesopotamian king Hammurabi, who reigned from 1792 to 1750 B.C. His law code has had lasting impacts throughout time. The Law Code of Hammurabi created a high level of organization by establishing justice, fairness, and equalizing society that has been copied in multiple other civilizations which has led to present

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