Why Was Hammurabi Wrong

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Imagine you’re living in 1792 BCE you are 6 years old and were playing with your clay dolls. You hear your father crying and a man with a knife walks next to you. Then the man looks into your emerald colored eyes and slices your neck. This was the consequence for your your father’s mistake. Don’t be scared this happened often under Hammurabi’s rule. Innocent people were killed for other’s mistakes. Nearly 4,000 years ago a man named Hammurabi became king of a small city-state called babylonia. He then conquered other city-states and beame king of a vast civillization called Mesopotamia.In the 38th year of his rule, Hammurabi had 282 laws carved into a large pillar like stone called a steele.Together, these laws have been called Hammurabi’s …show more content…
In the text law # 196 states “If a man put out the eye of a or freed man, or break a bone of a freed man, “He shall pay one gold mina.” but law # 198 states “If he puts out the eye of a slave, or breaks the arm of a slave he must pay half of its value.” Why should the punishment change depending on whether the man is a slave or not. Hammurabi also proves that he is unfair in law # 209 “If a man strikes the daughter of a free man and causes her to lose the fruit of her womb,he shall pay 10 shekels of silver. Hammurabi is treating the rich better than the poor.These Facts show just how much his slaves hated him. He was not fair even while making laws for “everyone” he made it to help the rich not …show more content…
For example is law #129 which claims “If a married lady is caught in adultery with another man, they shall bind them and cast them into the water.” This is harsh because the women gets to choose her life. Even if she chooses another man over her husband why must they kill her she has not hurt anyone. Her husband might be like oh she’s treacherous, but he can get divorced. There is no need to kill.Her husband might’ve been the problem. Another example is law #195 “If a son has struck his father, his hands shall be cut off,” this is not fair and it is harsh because they boy might’ve been protecting someone maybe even his father. Also if the boy’s hands are cut off he won’t be able work or get many jobs.Eventually the father will get to old for work or might even die or get illness. In such situations the boy has to provide for the family. If he is unable to do so he and his family will perish. So cutting off the boy’s hand doesn't only affect the boy it also affects the rest of the boy’s family. In light of these facts you can understand that Hammurabi’s code was too harsh and had brutal punishments. Hammurabi’s punishments consisted of cutting of people's body parts, killing them, or making them pay huge amounts of money. These punishments were too harsh for the mistake the people did. Unlike in the present world Hammurabi dosen’t look into the problem to find the true mistake, he kills
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