The Code of Hammurabi

The Code of Hammurabi
A Treasure Hunt on Hammurabi

created by Jerry Cavanaugh
QSI Phuket

Introduction | The Questions | Internet Resources

Introduction

About 1790, B.C., Hammurabi, the King of Babylon, established control over much of Mesopotamia. He attempted to unite the empire by publishing the laws that existed at the time. He didn't write the laws, but had his scribes carve the 300 laws on a stone pillar, so the people would be able to see the legal code the empire would be following. This was the first major collection of laws in history. All of the links on this site refer to the translation by L.W. King, which is considered the authoritative translation. Site updated July, 2011.

Questions

2. What is the procedure when one man accuses another of wrongdoing?
6. What is the penalty for stealing from a temple?
22. What is the penalty for robbing?
45. What happens if you rent your land for growing crops (tillage) and bad weather results in a crop failure?
117. If you are unable to pay a debt, how long may you and you family be kept in servitude to pay the debt?
127. What is the punishment for slandering the sister of a god or anyone's wife?
129. What happens if a wife is caught having sex with a man other than her husband (adultery)?
154. What is the penalty for a man who commits incest with his daughter?
195. What is the penalty for a son who hits his father?
196. What is the penalty if a man puts out the eye of another man?
197. What is the penalty if a man breaks another man's arm?
200. What is the penalty if a man knocks out another man's teeth?
205. What is the penalty for a slave who hits a free man?
209. What is the penalty if a man hits a pregnant free-born woman and causes the loss of her unborn child?
213. What is the penalty if a man hits a pregnant maid-servant and causes the loss of her unborn child?
229. What is the penalty if you build a house for someone and the house falls on its owner, killing him?

The Internet Resources

Hammurabi's Code of Laws - The code as translated by L.W. King.
Hammurabi's Code from Phillip Martin - Yale Law School, c. 1998, Phillip Martin. L.W. King's translation.
Mesopotamia: The Code of Hammurabi - L.W. King's translation, c. 1996, Richard Hooker.
The Avalon Project: The Code of Hammurabi - Also the L.W. King translation, from Yale Law School's Avalon Project.

The Big Question

What aspects of Hammurabi's Code are still accepted as legal principles today?

Content by Jerry Cavanaugh, cavanaugh-j@hotmail.com
http://www.kn.att.com/wired/fil/pages/hunthammurabje.html
Last revised Thu Jul 14 0:07:55 US/Pacific 2011