Mesopotamia &
Hammurabi's Code
4 early River Valley Civilizations
• Sumerian Civilization - Tigris & Euphrates Rivers (Mesopotamia)
• Egyptian Civilization - Nile River
• Harappan Civilization - Indus River
• Ancient China - Huang He (Yellow) River
PP Design of T. Loessin; Akins H.S.
City-States in Mesopotamia
I. GEOGRAPHY
A. Mostly dry desert climate in SW Asia (Middle East)
1. Except in region between Tigris / Euphrates rivers
2. a flat plain known as Mesopotamia lies between the
two rivers
3. Because of this region’s shape and the richness of its soil,
it is called the Fertile Crescent.
- the rivers flood at least once a year,
leaving a thick bed of mud called silt.
SW Asia
(the Middle East)
Fertile
Crescent
PP Design of T. Loessin; Akins H.S.
Chapter 2 Lecture Outline: “The Four Early River Valley Civilizations”
City-States in Mesopotamia
I. GEOGRAPHY
3. Because of this region’s shape and the richness of it’s soil,
it is called the Fertile Crescent.
- the rivers flood at least once a year,
leaving a thick bed of mud called silt.
Sumerians were first to settle in this region, attracted by the rich soil.
B. Three Disadvantages / Environmental Challenges
1. Unpredictable flooding / dry summer months
2. No natural barriers for protection
- small villages lying in open plain were defenseless
3. Limited natural resources
- stone, wood, metal
PP Design of T. Loessin; Akins H.S.
PP Design of T. Loessin; Akins H.S.
“The Four Early River Valley Civilizations”
City-States in Mesopotamia
III. SUMERIAN CULTURE
C. SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
1. One of the first writing systems-CUNIEFORM
2. Invented the wheel, plow, and sail
3. First to use bronze.
Cylinder seals and their ancient impressions on
administrative documents and locking devices are
our richest source for a range of meaningful subject matters.
A wealth of these have been discovered at Sumerian sites. *
PP Design of T. Loessin; Akins H.S.
“The Four Early River Valley Civilizations”
City-States in Mesopotamia
C. Babylonian Empire
1. Overtook Sumerians around 2,000 B.C.
2. Built capital, Babylon, on Euphrates river
3. Reign of Hammurabi [1792-1750 B.C.E.]
PP Design of T. Loessin; Akins H.S.
•Hammurabi wasn’t the first
ruler to establish code of laws
•His is the best preserved legal
document
•Rulers of ancient Babylon
believed that the gods had
entrusted them to deal fairly with
their people
“to bring about the rule of
righteousness in the land…
so that the strong should not
harm the weak
•The code standing 8 feet tall
was placed in a public area
Hammurabi, the king of righteousness,
On whom Shamash has conferred the Law,
am I.
When Marduk sent me to rule over men,
to give the protection of right to the land,
I did right and in righteousness brought about
the well-being of the oppressed.
Below are situations Hammurabi faced.
You and your partner decide what you think to be a fair way to deal with the problem.
Then together we’ll view what Hammurabi actually declared.
We’ll find out if Marduk, the supreme god, will be pleased with your decisions?
1.
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3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
What should be done to the carpenter who builds a house that falls and kills the owner?
What should be done about a wife who ignores her duties and belittles her husband?
What should be done when a "sister of god" (or nun) enters the wine shop for a drink?
What should be done if a son is adopted and then the birth-parents want him back?
What happens if a man is unable to pay his debts?
What should happen to a boy who slaps his father?
What happens to the wine seller who fails to arrest bad characters gathered at her shop?
How is the truth determined when one man brings an accusation against another?
http://www.phillipmartin.info/hammurabi/hammurabi_situation_index.htm
Compiled and Illustrated by
Phillip Martin
copyright 1998
What should be done to the carpenter who builds a house
that falls and kills the owner?
If a builder builds a house for a man
and does not make its construction
sound, and the house which he has
built collapses and causes the death
of the owner of the house, the builder
shall be put to death.
-Code 229
What happens if a man is unable to pay his debts?
If a man be in debt and is unable
to pay his creditors, he shall sell his
wife, son, or daughter, or bind them
over to service. For three years they
shall work in the houses of their purchaser
or master; in the fourth year they shall be
given their freedom.
-Code 117
What happens to the wine seller who fails to arrest
bad characters gathered at her shop?
If bad characters gather
in the house of a wine
seller and she does not
arrest those characters
and bring them to the
palace, that wine seller
shall be put to death
-Code 108
What should be done about a wife who ignores her
duties and belittles her husband?
If the woman has not
been careful but has
gadded about, neglecting
her house and belittling
her husband, they shall
throw that woman into the
water.
-Code 143
What should be done if a son is adopted and then the
birth-parents want him back?
If a man takes in his own
home a young boy as a
son and rears him, one
may not bring claim for
that adopted son.
-Code 185
What should happen to a boy who slaps his father?
If a son strikes his
father, they shall cut
off his hand.
-Code 195
How is the truth determined when one man brings an
accusation against another?
If any one bring an accusation
against a man, and the accused
go to the river and leap into the
river, if he sink in the river his
accuser shall take possession of
his house. But if the river prove
that the accused is not guilty,
and he escape unhurt, then he
who had brought the accusation
shall be put to death, while he
who leaped into the river shall
take possession of the house
that had belonged to his accuser.
-Code 2
What should be done when a "sister of god" (or nun)
enters the wine shop for a drink?
If a "sister of god"
(nun) who is not living
in a convent opens a
wine shop or enters a
wine shop for a drink,
they shall burn that
woman.
-Code 110
Have society’s
problems changed or
remained the same?
Which people were
favored by the laws
and which were not?
Did Hammurabi
accomplish what he
set out to do?
“to bring about the
rule of righteousness
in the land…so that
the strong should not
harm the weak.