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Babylonian period.<ref>"The Code of Hammurabi," [http://www.historyguide.org/ancient/hammurabi.html], The History Guide, 3 August 2009, Retrieved on 2 November 2011.</ref>
Babylonian period.<ref>"The Code of Hammurabi," [http://www.historyguide.org/ancient/hammurabi.html], The History Guide, 3 August 2009, Retrieved on 2 November 2011.</ref>
The code has been seen as an early example of a fundamental [[law]] regulating a government — i.e., a primitive [[constitution]].<ref>What is a Constitution? William David Thomas, Gareth Stevens (2008) p. 8</ref><ref>Flach, Jacques. Le Code de Hammourabi et la constitution originaire de la propriete dans l'ancienne Chaldee. (Revue historique. Paris, 1907. 8. v. 94, p. 272-289.</ref> The code is also one of the earliest examples of the idea of [[presumption of innocence]], and it also suggests that both the accused and accuser have the opportunity to provide [[evidence]].<ref>Victimology:Theories and Applications, Ann Wolbert Burgess, Albert R. Roberts, Cheryl Regehr,Jones & Bartlett Learning, 2009, p. 103</ref> The occasional nature of many provisions suggests that the Code may be better understood as a codification of Hammurabi's supplementary judicial decisions, and that, by memorializing his wisdom and justice, its purpose may have been the self-glorification of Hammurabi rather than a modern legal code or constitution. However, its copying in subsequent generations indicates that it was used as a model of legal and judicial reasoning.<ref>For this alternative interpretation see Jean Bottéro, "The 'Code' of Hammurabi" in ''Mesopotamia: Writing, Reasoning and the Gods'' (University of Chicago, 1992), pp. 156–184.</ref>
The code has been seen as an early example of a fundamental [[law]] regulating a government — i.e., a primitive [[constitution]].<ref>What is a Constitution? William David Thomas, Gareth Stevens (2008) p. 8</ref><ref>Flach, Jacques. Le Code de Hammourabi et la constitution originaire de la propriete dans l'ancienne Chaldee. (Revue historique. Paris, 1907. 8. v. 94, p. 272-289.</ref> The code is also one of the earliest examples of the idea of [[presumption of innocence]], and it also suggests that both the accused and accuser have the opportunity to provide [[evidence]].<ref>Victimology:Theories and Applications, Ann Wolbert Burgess, Albert R. Roberts, Cheryl Regehr,Jones & Bartlett Leahref="/enwiki//creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/" />
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mw.config.set({"wgCanonicalNamespace":"","wgCanonicalSpecialPageName":false,"wgNamespaceNumber":0,"wgPageName":"Code_of_Hammurabi","wgTitle":"Code of Hammurabi","wgCurRevisionId":641326168,"wgRevisionId":641326168,"wgArticleId":7604,"wgIsArticle":true,"wgIsRedirect":false,"wgAction":"view","wgUserName":null,"wgUserGroups":["*"],"wgCategories":["Use dmy dates from December 2012","Pages containing cite templates with deprecated parameters","Wikipedia articles with VIAF identifiers","Wikipedia articrning, 2009, p. 103</ref> The occasional nature of many provisions suggests that the Code may be better understood as a codification of Hammurabi's supplementary judicial decisions, and that, by memorializing his wisdom and justice, its purpose may have been the self-glorification of Hammurabi rather than a modern legal code or constitution. However, its copying in subsequent generations indicates that it was used as a model of legal and judicial reasoning.<ref>For this alternative interpretation see Jean Bottéro, "The 'Code' of Hammurabi" in ''Mesopotamia: Writing, Reasoning and the Gods'' (University of Chicago, 1992), pp. 156–184.</ref>


==Other copies==
==Other copies==

Revision as of 19:01, 12 January 2015

Babylonian period.[1]

The code has been seen as an early example of a fundamental law regulating a government — i.e., a primitive constitution.[2][3] The code is also one of the earliest examples of the idea of presumption of innocence, and it also suggests that both the accused and accuser have the opportunity to provide evidence.[4] The occasional nature of many provisions suggests that the Code may be better understood as a codification of Hammurabi's supplementary judicial decisions, and that, by memorializing his wisdom and justice, its purpose may have been the self-glorification of Hammurabi rather than a modern legal code or constitution. However, its copying in subsequent generations indicates that it was used as a model of legal and judicial reasoning.[5]

Other copies

Hammurabi stele at American Museum of Natural History, New York, 2012.
A version of the Code at the Istanbul Archaeological Museums

Various copies of portions of the Code of Hammurabi have been found on baked clay tablets, some possibly older than the celebrated diorite stele now in the Louvre. The Prologue of the Code of Hammurabi (the first 305 inscribed squares on the stele) is on such a tablet, also at the Louvre (Inv #AO 10237). Some gaps in the list of benefits bestowed on cities recently annexed by Hammurabi may imply that it is older than the famous stele (it is currently dated to the early 18th century BC).[6] Likewise, the Museum of the Ancient Orient, part of the Istanbul Archaeology Museums, also has a "Code of Hammurabi" clay tablet, dated to 1750 BC, in (Room 5, Inv # Ni 2358).[7][8]

In July, 2010, archaeologists reported that a fragmentary Akkadian cuneiform tablet was discovered at Tel Hazor, Israel, containing a c. 1700 BC text that was said to be partly parallel to portions of the Hammurabi code. The Hazor law code fragments are currently being prepared for publication by a team from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.[9]

Laws covered

External videos
video icon Law Code Stele of King Hammurabi, 1792-1750 B.C.E., Smarthistory

The laws covered such subjects as:

Slander
Ex. Law #127: "If any one "point the finger" at a sister of a god or the wife of any one, and can not prove it, this man shall be taken before the judges and his brow shall be marked. (by cutting the skin, or perhaps hair.)" [10]
Trade
Ex. Law #265: "If a herdsman, to whose care cattle or sheep have been entrusted, be guilty of fraud and make false returns of the natural increase, or sell them for money, then shall he be convicted and pay the owner ten times the loss." [11]
Slavery
Ex. Law #15: "If any one take a male or female slave of the court, or a male or female slave of a freed man, outside the city gates, he shall be put to death." [12]
The duties of workers
Ex. Law #42: "If any one take over a field to till it, and obtain no harvest therefrom, it must be proved that he did no work on the field, and he must deliver grain, just as his neighbor raised, to the owner of the field." [13]
Theft
Ex. Law #22: "If any one is committing a robbery and is caught, then he shall be put to death." [14]
Food
Ex. Law #104: "If a merchant give an agent corn, wool, oil, or any other goods to transport, the agent shall give a receipt for the amount, and compensate the merchant therefor. Then he shall obtain a receipt from the merchant for the money that he gives the merchant." [15]

One of the best known laws from Hammurabi's code was...

Ex. Law #196. "If a man destroy the eye of another man, they shall destroy his eye. If one break a man's bone, they shall break his bone. If one destroy the eye of a freeman or break the bone of a freeman he shall pay one mana of silver. If one destroy the eye of a man's slave or break a bone of a man's slave he shall pay one-half his price."[16]

Hammurabi had many other punishments as well. If a son strike his father, his hands shall be hewn off(translations vary).[17][18]

See also

References

  1. ^ "The Code of Hammurabi," [1], The History Guide, 3 August 2009, Retrieved on 2 November 2011.
  2. ^ What is a Constitution? William David Thomas, Gareth Stevens (2008) p. 8
  3. ^ Flach, Jacques. Le Code de Hammourabi et la constitution originaire de la propriete dans l'ancienne Chaldee. (Revue historique. Paris, 1907. 8. v. 94, p. 272-289.
  4. ^ Victimology:Theories and Applications, Ann Wolbert Burgess, Albert R. Roberts, Cheryl Regehr,Jones & Bartlett Leahref="/enwiki//creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/" /> <link rel="alternate" type="application/atom+xml" title="Wikipedia Atom feed" href="/enwiki/w/index.php?title=Special:RecentChanges&feed=atom" /> <link rel="canonical" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Code_of_Hammurabi" /> <link rel="stylesheet" href="/enwiki//bits.wikimedia.org/en.wikipedia.org/load.php?debug=false&lang=en&modules=ext.gadget.DRN-wizard%2CReferenceTooltips%2Ccharinsert%2Cfeatured-articles-links%2CrefToolbar%2Cswitcher%2Cteahouse%7Cext.rtlcite%2Cwikihiero%2CwikimediaBadges%7Cext.uls.nojs%7Cext.visualEditor.viewPageTarget.noscript%7Cmediawiki.legacy.commonPrint%2Cshared%7Cmediawiki.skinning.interface%7Cmediawiki.ui.button%7Cskins.vector.styles%7Cwikibase.client.init&only=styles&skin=vector&*" /> <meta name="ResourceLoaderDynamicStyles" content="" /> <link rel="stylesheet" href="/enwiki//bits.wikimedia.org/en.wikipedia.org/load.php?debug=false&lang=en&modules=site&only=styles&skin=vector&*" /> <style>a:lang(ar),a:lang(kk-arab),a:lang(mzn),a:lang(ps),a:lang(ur){text-decoration:none} /* cache key: enwiki:resourceloader:filter:minify-css:7:3904d24a08aa08f6a68dc338f9be277e */</style> <script src="//bits.wikimedia.org/en.wikipedia.org/load.php?debug=false&lang=en&modules=startup&only=scripts&skin=vector&*"></script> <script>if(window.mw){ mw.config.set({"wgCanonicalNamespace":"","wgCanonicalSpecialPageName":false,"wgNamespaceNumber":0,"wgPageName":"Code_of_Hammurabi","wgTitle":"Code of Hammurabi","wgCurRevisionId":641326168,"wgRevisionId":641326168,"wgArticleId":7604,"wgIsArticle":true,"wgIsRedirect":false,"wgAction":"view","wgUserName":null,"wgUserGroups":["*"],"wgCategories":["Use dmy dates from December 2012","Pages containing cite templates with deprecated parameters","Wikipedia articles with VIAF identifiers","Wikipedia articrning, 2009, p. 103
  5. ^ For this alternative interpretation see Jean Bottéro, "The 'Code' of Hammurabi" in Mesopotamia: Writing, Reasoning and the Gods (University of Chicago, 1992), pp. 156–184.
  6. ^ Fant, Clyde E. and Mitchell G. Reddish (2008), Lost Treasures of the Bible: Understanding the Bible Through Archaeological Artifacts in World Museums, Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., pg 62.
  7. ^ Freely, John, Blue Guide Istanbul (5th ed., 2000), London: A&C Black, New York: WW Norton, pg 121. ("The most historic of the inscriptions here [i.e., Room 5, Museum of the Ancient Orient, Istanbul] is the famous Code of Hammurabi (#Ni 2358) dated 1750 BC, the world's oldest recorded set of laws.")
  8. ^ Museum of the Ancient Orient website ("This museum contains a rich collection of ancient ... archaeological finds, including ... seals from Nippur and a copy of the Code of Hammurabi.")
  9. ^ Tablet Discovered by Hebrew U Matches Code of Hammurabi
  10. ^ "The Code of Hammurabi". Internet Sacred Text Archive. Evinity Publishing INC, 2011. Web. 17. Nov. 2013. <http://www.sacred-texts.com/ane/ham/ham06.htm>
  11. ^ "The Code of Hammurabi". Internet Sacred Text Archive. Evinity Publishing INC, 2011. Web. 17. Nov. 2013. <http://www.sacred-texts.com/ane/ham/ham05.htm>
  12. ^ "The Code of Hammurabi". Internet Sacred Text Archive. Evinity Publishing INC, 2011. Web. 17. Nov. 2013. <http://www.sacred-texts.com/ane/ham/ham05.htm>
  13. ^ "The Code of Hammurabi". Internet Sacred Text Archive. Evinity Publishing INC, 2011. Web. 17. Nov. 2013. <http://www.sacred-texts.com/ane/ham/ham05.htm>
  14. ^ "The Code of Hammurabi". Internet Sacred Text Archive. Evinity Publishing INC, 2011. Web. 17. Nov. 2013. <http://www.sacred-texts.com/ane/ham/ham05.htm>
  15. ^ "The Code of Hammurabi". Internet Sacred Text Archive. Evinity Publishing INC, 2011. Web. 17. Nov. 2013. <http://www.sacred-texts.com/ane/ham/ham05.htm>
  16. ^ "The Code of Hammurabi". Internet Sacred Text Archive. Evinity Publishing INC, 2011. <http://www.sacred-texts.com/ane/ham/ham05.htm>
  17. ^ Translated by L. W. King, Hammurabi's Code of Laws, Hammurabi's Code of Laws
  18. ^ Translated by L. W. King, Hammurabi's Code of Laws, The Code of Hammurabi King of Babylon by Robert Francis Harper (PDF)

Bibliography

  • Driver, G.R. & J.C. Miles (2007). The Babylonian Laws. Eugene: Wipf and Stock. ISBN 1-55635-229-8.
  • Roth, Martha T. (1997). Law Collections from Mesopotamia and Asia Minor. Atlanta: Scholars Press. ISBN 0-7885-0378-2.
  • Bryant, Tamera (2005). The Life & Times of Hammurabi. Bear: Mitchell Lane Publishers. ISBN 978-1-58415-338-2.
  • Mieroop, Marc (2004). King Hammurabi of Babylon: a Biography. Cambridge: Blackwell Publishers. ISBN 978-1-4051-2660-1.
  • Hammurabi, King (2000). The Oldest Code of Laws in the World. City: Lawbook Exchange Ltd. ISBN 978-1-58477-061-9. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  • Falkenstein, A. (1956–57). Die neusumerischen Gerichtsurkunden I–III. München.
  • Elsen-Novák, G./Novák, M.: Der 'König der Gerechtigkeit'. Zur Ikonologie und Teleologie des 'Codex' Hammurapi. In: Baghdader Mitteilungen 37 (2006), pp. 131–156.
  • Julius Oppert and Joachim Menant (1877). Documents juridiques de l'Assyrie et de la Chaldee. París.
  • Thomas, D. Winton, ed. (1958). Documents from Old Testament Times. London and New York.
  • Beck, Roger B. (1999). World History: Patterns of Interaction. Evanston, IL: McDougal Littell. ISBN 0-395-87274-X. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link)
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