Code of Hammurabi

The Code of Hammurabi

This 7 foot diorite slab should stir the souls of the Criminal Justice majors out there. This is the most ancient code of written law. Let's put this into context. Hammurabi is the sixth King of the first Babylonian Dynasty. Hammurabi wins many wars and conquers many lands. He rules a hefty portion of the Mesopotamia. How can he elevate himself to the next level of greatness? How does he become legendary? To become more memorable that the previous century's array of Kings, Hammurabi has to do something that's never been done before. Something revolutionary. Hammurabi recognized that his area of ruling had various laws in various areas. How can he rule a land when he, himself doesn't know the local customs. He rectifies this situation with the The Code of Hammurabi.

A translated quote from the chiseled cuneiform, " to cause justice to prevail in the land and to destroy the wicked and the evil that the strong might not oppress the weak nor the weak the strong." I found this translation to be intriguing. How do you define weak and strong? Is it a physical measurement? Is a weak person someone of low-education? "Power in Numbers," comes to mind if you define a weak person simply by their demographic. As you delve into Hammurabi's Code, you get a gist of social norms if you study the punishments.  Wealth, class, and gender played a huge role in your judicial fate. The "Eye for an Eye" train of thinking saturated Hammurabi's cuneiform law. I don't believe laws should have any relation to wealth,class, or gender. However, discriminatory laws probably constitute a more civilized social environment than no laws at all. This was not a revolution, this is the primary document, the evolution of Common Law.

& I just remembered we're not allowed to use pieces from the book. Awesome.