Hammurabis Code :: essays research papers

Hammurabis CodeThe formers of the Hammurabis Code of Laws surely created strict rules with severe punishments for their violation. In fact, these laws compete a big role in organization of Mesopotamian society. Reading these laws, reader may learn about ideals people of Mesopotamia had about crimes, their attitude to the lower and higher(prenominal) social classes, and legal rights between men and women. Reading the laws I noticed that party crimes were punished by death penalty. Many laws tell that guilty soulfulness has to pay the same price for the physical harm one did to another person or ones relative. For instance law 196 states (encyclopedia.com) If a man put out the eye of another man, his eye shall be put out. In addition, at that time, people were penalized to death for many crimes or wrongdoings that almost never would be penalized with capital punishment at a modern time. Among such felony and misdemeanors are stealing, robbery, accusation, adultery, and desertion. Hammurabis Code also, reveals inequality between social classes. Slaves were not treat by the laws the same as free-born people. According to the Code of Hammurabi, women had some legal rights, but these rights were not equal to mens. Married women had a right to come apart as well as men. In fact, in order to acquire the right for divorce, a woman has to find a reasonable explanation for her desire, and single than the divorce could be possible. Overall, the Hammurabis Code of Laws showed that crimes in Mesopotamia were followed by severe punishments. Very often these punishments were death penalty. The laws were not equal between social classes, and slaves were subjected to the harsher punishments than free-born.