The Code of Hammurabi

The Code of Hammurabi was written in 1750 B.C. by the King Hammurabi. The code was the most complete collection of the Babylonian laws There was 282 laws and each one covered a different aspect of life.

The Code of Hammurabi was written to encourage people to accept the king, who was trying to give common day rules to the people to follow. The laws ranged from private to public matters. The code of laws applied to the entire society. A person who failed to follow the laws were punished. Each mistake had a different penality.There was three classes, the patricians, the commoners, and the slaves. The purpose of the Code of Hammurabi was to use power to create common bonds amoung the people.

Hammurabi's stele was written in Akkadian, the Babylonian lanuage. Originally the code was in Babylon's temple of Marduk. Although the code is not the first legal code, it's the best preserved ancient law in the world today. The stele was more than just a educational tool. It was a code of the rules which was established by an authority. The Code of Hammurabi was a model for the schools of scribes, who were to copy it for many years.

Hammurabi's code is the oldest set of laws known to exist today. The code is significant because it allowed all the people to understand the laws that governed their lives. It's unique because it is one of the only laws written down.

Hammurabi felt that he had to write the laws to please the gods. He did'nt consider himself a god though but he did call himself "the favorite of the gods." The laws were clearly stated so that there was no excuses or explanations for the mistakes the people made. The code of Hammurabi was very important and he wanted it to last forever. Those laws can help us understand Hammurabi a little more than what we already know.