 Hammurabi ruled the Babylonian Empire from 1792 – 1750 BC.  His empire was made up of many diverse cultures.  He wanted to unify the various groups and understood that one universal set of laws would help him achieve that goal.  He sent officials to gather, review and edit the existing laws found throughout his kingdom.  The result was Hammurabi’s Code Hammurabi’s Code: An Eye for an Eye

Hammurabi’s Code laws inscribed on a stone pillar  1 st major collection of written laws  Criminal laws based on “eye for an eye”  The punishment should fit the crime.  Provided for social order  Civil laws provided guidelines for private rights and matters such as family issues & business contracts.  Most were designed to protect the powerless.

Compared to Modern Legal Systems  Penalties seem harsh by today’s standards.  The accuser had to drag the accused to court themselves.  Many laws called for the accused to jump in the river to allow the gods to determine their guilt or innocence.  The laws did not treat everyone equally; they recognized class differences.

Excerpts from Hammurabi’s Code If any one is committing a robbery and is caught, then he shall be put to death. If a son strike his father, his hands shall be hewn off. If a man knock out the teeth of his equal, his teeth shall be knocked out. If a man strike a free-born woman so that she lose her unborn child, he shall pay ten shekels for her loss. If a man has destroyed the eye of a man of the gentleman class, they shall destroy his eye.... If he has destroyed the eye of a commoner... he shall pay one mina of silver. If he has destroyed the eye of a gentleman's slave... he shall pay half the slave's price.