Hammurabi Essay The Code of Hammurabi was the first written legal system. Hammurabi was a Babylonian Emperor for 42 years. There are 282 laws in this code of law. This emperor relied on the philosophy of equal retaliation, known in modern times as “an eye for an eye”. There are a lot of positives and negatives that would happen if we lived under this code of laws.
Even though looking at the Code of Hammurabi, everything you do that is wrong seems to be punishable by death. There are a few positives if we lived by the Code of Hammurabi. There would be very few robberies and break-ins because if you were caught robbing someone, you were put to death as stated in Law 22. Even if the robber isn’t caught, the robbed man shall set forth the particulars in the robbery, and everyone shall make good to him his lost property. Some of the laws would keep people doing their jobs and not allow them to slack off, such as Law 55 and 143 to name a few. Basically law 55 states that if a man, who opens his canal for irrigation, lets the water flood his neighbors. Then he has to measure out grain in his field and replace the grain in his neighbors. Law 143 says that if a woman was lazy and neglected her house, which would humiliate her husband, then they can throw her in some water which would humiliate her in return. Another positive to living under Hammurabi’s code would be that a physician who saved a man’s life during an operation then he would receive some silver. This law would make the doctors make sure that they do everything they can to save a person’s life during an operation. Law 122 would be very useful if it was applied today. It says that if a man wants to give another man something for safekeeping, such as gold, then he must show witnesses the amount of things he would give for safe keeping. Plus they must arrange the contracts for the safe keeping. Even though this is a lot of hassles for just having someone watch over your things for you. It would ensure that we would get our things back safely. Nowadays you can’t trust people to look after your money. One last positive of living with these laws would be with Law 162. This states that if a man marries a woman, and she bears him children then the wife passes away. The man mustn’t use her dowry because it belongs to her children. This law is helpful for the children. It ensures that growing up they will have