Empires come and go, but all leave an everlasting mark. In the history of the
world, a person learns about many different civilizations that helped shape the societies
and the cultures that we have become accustomed to today. Each one of these empires
left an impression in the fabric of time, but there are some that stand above the rest.
There is one empire in particular that has not only drastically shaped society during its
reign, but also played a large role in later civilizations. This empire was the Old
Babylonian Empire and it had an incredible importance during its time in history. Under
the leadership of the great ruler Hammurabi, this empire set the standard for many to
follow. The role of Hammurabi’s Babylon in politics, written language, religion, and law
made an important impact on the society of the time and helped shape history.
To truly understand Hammurabi, we need to look to the past and explore the
history of the Old Babylonian Empire. Hammurabi was an Amorite who took power of
Babylon in 1792 B.C. At the time of his rule, Sumer consisted of nothing more then a
bunch of warring tribes. Hammurabi united all these tribes and eventually took control of
all of Mesopotamia. Hammurabi set a new standard in leadership, emphasizing the idea
that the king was not himself a God, but that he was a servant of the Gods. Also
politically, we see the rise of distinct social classes, which is the first time a social
hierarchy truly affected a civilization. The emergence of a noble class, a freeman class,
and a slave class was the first sign that not all the power was held by the king. Of course
the nobles had to answer to Hammurabi, but they still wielded some power over the other
classes. This was a huge change to the usual idea that the king held all the power and his
followers shared the burden of not having any.
With written language, the Old Babylonian’s used a Semitic hybrid form of
cuneiform from the ancient Sumerian Empires that existed before. Written language was
very important to Babylon because it was used often to convey messages to the people.
One example that can be used is “Hammurabi’s Code.” It was a set of laws that kept
justice among the people. Obviously these laws had to be in a common language that
could easily be understood by the masses.
Written language was not the only thing taken by Babylon and changed for its
own purpose. Religion took a radical new turn with the Old Babylonian Empire. Past
religions were based on many gods that controlled various aspects of life. These gods
looked over humans as a collective and never as individuals. Babylonian religion on the
other hand still kept the idea that some gods had power over various aspects of life, while
also making it apparent that there were other gods that looked over individuals and their
lives. This made religion much more personal and allowed individuals a private
relationship with deities. This radical new idea helped shape the future and theology of
many future religions to come, including Judaism and Christianity.
The next major mark Hammurabi left on history was his many laws, for which he
is most famous. “Hammurabi’s Code,” as it was called, consisted of two hundred and
eighty-two laws and was based on Sumerian legal ideals. The most famous of
Hammurabi’s code was “buyer beware,” and “an eye for an eye.” The “buyer beware”
ideal was basically to state that a buyer had no rights and that he should be careful before
getting involved in any business venture. The “eye for an eye” principle was rather
simple. If a person was to do something to another person that was in violation of the
law, that same thing would happen to the committer of the crime. For an example, if a
person was to break another persons arm, then the person who broke the arm would also
have his arm broke. Another example, if you were to kill a man’s son, your son was also
killed. These laws were rather crude, but they served their purpose. Also, the code
applied ethics. It had strict punishments for children who misbehaved. The laws also
created a welfare state aspect were the local government was responsible to replace to the
victim anything that was stolen. These laws were in no way, shape, or form equal. It
basically separated the freeman from the slaves. If a freeman were to commit a crime
against a slave the punishments would be much less severe, while the opposite was true
for a slave. If a slave were to commit a crime against a freeman, they would be punished
harshly. If a freeman were to commit a crime against another freeman, they would also
be persecuted to the fullest extent of the law. “Hammurabi’s Code” is important because
it was the first time a set of laws were standardized and actually written down. The king
did not make up the laws as he went along. They were recorded and in plain sight for all
to see. This idea of consistent laws played a large role in later civilizations and made a
huge impact on society.
Hammurabi’s rule changed much of how civilizations were controlled. His Old
Babylonian Empire not only changed the ideas of politics by creating different classes, it
also affected written language by making it frequent in day to day life. It played a huge
role in religion by making it much more personal and allowing average citizens to
experience something that was never allowed to them, a personal relationship with a god.
Lastly, it created a set of laws that shaped how punishments were exercised and set a
standard judicial system for others to follow. Hammurabi’s empire left a massive impact
in history and truly changed the way future societies would form and conduct business. It
is because of Hammurabi’s legacy that the Old Babylonian Empire will be remembered
forever.