Mesopotamia Dbq Essay

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For many years, the people of Mesopotamia have disagreed over bureaucracy and economy. Before Hammurabi’s rule, multiple leaders attempted to unify the territories of Mesopotamia by creating systems law, methods of taxation and separate approaches to punishment, but they have all failed. Between 2334 BCE – 2279 BCE, Sargon of Akkad conquered the land and unified Mesopotamia, but his reign was unjust and created an uproar amongst the people (Timeline). After the fall of Sargon, the Sumerian empire ruled but was then overtaken by the emergence of city states (Map). Of course, the idea of each city-state having their own king, void of a sole unjust leader, would seem appealing but that also caused conflict. When conflict would rise between city-states, each king wanted to serve a punishment that they deemed necessary which may not have been what another king would agree with. …show more content…
Since the people in Mesopotamia could not obtain passage to an afterlife, everything from rewards to punishments will be dealt by the people of the land. For example, the tenth commandant says “you shall not covet your neighbor's house” (Excerpt from Exodus), but who will help when it happens or how will they be punished. Hammurabi, on the other hand, has clearly outlined reimbursement for the victim and punishment for the criminal. The laws also include punishment based on social class, ranging from “an eye for an eye” or paying a fee. Of course, this may seem unfair to the freedman but the punishment must fit the crime and the people who have obtained a higher status have earned some liberties but they still get punished. Let us not forget how Gilgamesh felt entitled, how he terrorized the people. Hammurabi is a fair leader and his laws shall ensure that no man will terrorize the people as Gilgamesh once
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