Document A: Hammurabi’s Code—Religion (Modified)
The following selection is from the introduction of Hammurabi’s Code. As
you read, pay attention to the religion of Babylonia. What did people
believe in? Who were their gods?
When Anu the Sublime . . . and Bel, the lord of Heaven and earth, who
decreed the fate of the land, assigned to Marduk, the over-ruling son of Ea,
God of righteousness, power over earthly man, and made him great . . .
they called Babylon by his celebrated name, made it great on earth, and
founded an everlasting kingdom in it. Then Anu and Bel called by name
me, Hammurabi, the exalted prince, who feared God, to bring about the
rule of righteousness in the land, to destroy the wicked and the evil-doers;
so that the strong should not harm the weak; so that I should rule over the
black-headed people like Shamash, and enlighten the land, to further the
well-being of mankind.
Source: “Code of Hammurabi,” 1780 BCE.
Vocabulary
sublime: greatest
decreed: ordered
exalted: highly thought of, grand
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Document B: Hammurabi’s Code—Economy
The following selections from Hammurabi’s Code discuss the economy in
Babylonia. As you read, pay attention to what was important to Babylonians
as they tried to make a living.
42. If any one take over a field to till it, and obtain no harvest from it, 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.
43. If he do not till the field, but let it lie fallow, he shall give grain like his
neighbor's to the owner of the field, and the field which he let lie fallow he
must plow and sow and return to its owner.
53. If any one be too lazy to keep his dam in proper condition . . . if then the
dam break and all the fields be flooded, then shall he in whose dam the
break occurred be sold for money, and the money shall replace the corn
which he has caused to be ruined.
54. If he be not able to replace the corn, then he and his possessions shall
be divided among the farmers whose corn he has flooded.
59. If any man, without the knowledge of the owner of a garden, fell a tree
in a garden he shall pay half a mina in money.
Source: “Code of Hammurabi,” 1780 BCE.
Vocabulary
till: farm, work
fallow: land with no seeds planted
fell: cause to fall
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Document C: Hammurabi’s Code—Society
The following selections from Hammurabi’s Code discuss rules for
Babylonian society. As you read, pay attention to how society was
structured. Was everyone treated equally?
117. If any one fails to pay a debt, and sells himself, his wife, his son, or
daughter for money or give them away for forced labor: they shall work for
three years in the house of the man who bought them and in the fourth year
they shall be set free.
138. If a man wishes to separate from his wife who has borne him no
children, he shall give her the amount of her purchase money and the
dowry which she brought from her father's house, and let her go.
141. If a man's wife … wishes to leave it: if her husband offer her release,
she may go on her way, and he gives her nothing as a gift of release. If her
husband does not wish to release her, and if he take another wife, she shall
remain as servant in her husband's house.
196. If a man put out the eye of another man, his eye shall be put out.
199. If he put out the eye of a man's slave, or break the bone of a man's
slave, he shall pay one-half of its value.
202. If any one strike the body of a man higher in rank than he, he shall
receive sixty blows with an ox-whip in public.
203. If a free-born man strike the body of another free-born man or equal
rank, he shall pay one gold mina.
Source: “Code of Hammurabi,” 1780 BCE.
Vocabulary
dowry: money or property that a wife’s family gives to her husband when
they marry
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Guiding Questions
Central Historical Question:
What can we learn about Babylonia from Hammurabi’s Code?
Document A: Religion
1. According to this document, where did Hammurabi get his power as king?
Hammurabi got his power at king from Anu and Bel.
2. Monotheistic or Polytheistic?
a. According to this document, was Babylonia a monotheistic society (belief
in one god) or a polytheistic society (belief in many gods)?
Babylonia was a polytheistic society.
b. How do you know this from Hammurabi’s Code?
There were five gods: Anu, Bel, Marduk, Shamash & Ea.
3. According to this document, what is the goal of Hammurabi’s Code?
The goal of Hammurabi's Code is to destroy the wicked, protect the weak, and for
him to rule over the black-headed people like Shamash, and to enlighten the land
to further the well-being of mankind.
Document B: Economy
1. Working the fields: Summarize laws 42-43 in your own words.
If the field worker doesn't properly take care of their fields, they should get grain from their neighbor and give it to the owner of the field but also take responsibility for
their shortcomings and till the fields for the next harvest.
(Document B Question 2: If the person who is supposed to be taking care of the dam fails to properly maintain it and it collapses, ruining for the harvest, they must
either pay the owners of the fields for the lost crop, or they will pay with their, land, dam, and other possessions if necessary.)
2. The dams: Summarize laws 53-54 in your own words.
(DOCUMENT C QUESTION 2) These codes highlight a major inequality in Babylonian society: where women
were considered not as important as men. If a woman wished to leave her husband, she could not do so
unless her husband agreed. If a man wished to exit a marriage that has borne no children, he could do so
immediately. Women were considered less than men in the Babylonian social hierarchy. While they
were 'above' an enslaved person, they did not have as much value as a free man.
3. Type of Economy
a. According to this document, do you think most people in Babylonia made
money in cities or in the country?
Most people in the Babylonian country probably made money selling or
tending to crops.
b. How do you know this from Hammurabi’s Code?
The code is heavily centered around farming and land ownership. The
prevalence of crops, fields, and gardens indicates they were prominent in
the area.
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Document C: Society
1. Equality
a. Code 196: What is the punishment for putting out the eye of “another
man”?
The punishment is, "his eye shall be put out", meaning that if a man hurts
someone, they will receive an equal level of harm as punishment. (An eye
for an eye).
b. How might code 196 be seen as an attempt to promote “equality”?
Code 196 makes it seem that everyone is equal. If one person inflicts harm
on another, they will receive an equal level of harm back, no matter who
they are, even though that is not necessarily true in Babylonian society.
c. Code 199 describes a different punishment for putting out the eye of an
enslaved person. What might this suggest about equality in Babylonia?
For putting out the eye of one's slave, they only have to pay one-half of their value, which
shows how slaves were considered that of less value. Slaves were not equal to others, like
code 196 makes it seem, but rather they were only one-half of a man.
d. Find two other passages that provide evidence of inequality in
Hammurabi’s Code. (Be sure to cite the number of the code.)
i. Evidence 1:
Code 202: Essentially, if someone hurts one of their 'betters', they have to serve a
severe punishment. This shows how Babylonia had a social hierarchy system,
where some people were considered better than others.
ii. Evidence 2:
Code 141: A man can release from his wife at any time, but a woman is not allowed
this. They can only be released from marriage if their husband agrees, and if their
husband takes another wife, they are forced to remain as a servant. Again, this
shows how they had a social hierarchy, where free women are 'below' free men.
2. What do codes 117, 138, & 141 suggest about the status of women in
Babylonian society?
(DOCUMENT C QUESTION 2) These codes highlight a major inequality in
Babylonian society: where women were considered not as important as men. If a
woman wished to leave her husband, she could not do so unless her husband
agreed. If a man wished to exit a marriage that has borne no children, he could do
so immediately. Women were considered less than men in the Babylonian social
hierarchy. While they were 'above' an enslaved person, they did not have as much
value as a free man.
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Summary
What are some of the limitations of Hammurabi’s Code as evidence of life in Babylonia?
Hammurabi's Code cannot tell us about Babylonian culture and how they lived. It can
tell us some of their rules and beliefs but it cannot explain what was truly important to
Babylonians and how they spent their days.
What other sources might help us to better understand life in Babylonia?
Maps and geographical information could help us understand things like their trade
routes, economic system, agriculture, etc. Babylonian art could also show their culture
in a way Hammurabi's Code could not.
Use evidence from the historical documents you read to answer the central
historical question by completing the sentences below:
What can we learn about Babylonia from Hammurabi’s Code?
Historians can learn a lot about Babylonia from Hammurabi’s Code. According to the
Code, Babylonian religion was
Babylonian religion was polytheistic, they believed in multiple gods. The gods were all
rulers of a certain thing.
According to the Code, the Babylonian economy was based on
The Babylonian economy was largely based on agriculture and farming. People had to
keep their farm in order.
According to the Code, Babylonian society was structured around
social structure and social hierarchy. People were not of the same level, enslaved
people were less than women, women were less than free men. Some men were higher
up in the hierarchial system than others, which was why Hammurabi's code showed the
punishments for striking a better.
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