K. Lowther
Arts & Humanities
Adapted from http://www.phillipmartin.info/hammurabi/homepage.htm
The Rise of Early Civilizations:
By the early fourth millennium B.C., the
population of the Tigris - Euphrates increased;
and city-states arose. By 2000 BC the cities of
Sumer had grown so large that some like Ur, the
capital city, had populations of more than
200,000 persons.
Ziggurat—Ur
Hammurabi, the Priest King (ca.
1792 - 1750 BC), united all of
Mesopotamia under his forty-three
year reign of Babylon.
Although Hammurabi's Code is not
the first code of laws (the first
records date four centuries earlier),
it is the best preserved legal
document reflecting the social
structure of Babylon during
Hammurabi's rule.
Hammurabi Quick Facts:
Ruler of Babylonia & all of Mesopotamia,
1792-1750 B.C.
Had Governors to rule lands for him, but
maintained a strong central government
Established 282 Law of the Empire (The
Code of Hammurabi); preserved on stone.
Covered religion, irrigation, military service,
trade, slavery, duties of workers.
Gave protection to women and children.
Responsible life framed by law and order.
About the Code:
Two hundred eighty-two
laws, concerning a wide
variety of abuses, justify
Hammurabi's claim of
having acted "like a real
father to his people . . .
[who] has established
prosperity . . . and (gave)
good government to the
land."
The laws were
discovered in 1901 on
a stela now in the
Louvre Museum of
Paris, France.
Hammurabi
Hands to Mouth—
Sign of Prayer
Ring and Scepter:
Symbols of Power
Cone-horned Headdress—
Marks him as a deity
Rays of Sun—Sun God
Ziggurat Throne
What would Hammurabi do?
“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. “
Following are situations Hammurabi faced. Decide what
you think to be a fair way to deal with the problem.
1. What should be done to the carpenter who builds a house that falls and
kills the owner?
2. What should be done about a wife who ignores her duties and belittles
her husband?
3. What should be done when a "sister of god" (or nun) enters the wine shop
for a drink?
4. What should be done if a son is adopted and then the birth-parents want
him back?
5. What happens if a man is unable to pay his debts?
6. What should happen to a boy who slaps his father?
7. What happens to the wine seller who fails to arrest bad characters
gathered at her shop?
8. How is the truth determined when one man brings an accusation against
another?
1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. What should happen to a boy who slaps his father?
If a son strikes his father, they
shall cut off his hand.
7. 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.
8. 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.
Exit Slip
On the same paper on which you gave your
answers, respond to the following:
 Sum up Hammurabi’s Code in one
sentence.
 What are some good things about his
Code? Bad things?
 In your opinion, do you think this sort of
code could be beneficial, if reinstituted
today? What would the effects be on
crime and personal freedoms?