5/14/13
Hammurabi’s Code Almost every nation today has a set of laws or rules that every citizen of that nation has to follow. But how did this start? The Code of Hammurabi was one of the most significant set of rules set by man. It forever changed the world we live in by setting a basis for all future laws. No other set of rules that were set by man has made a bigger impact on history. The Code of Hammurabi is significant not because it was the first set of laws, because it wasn’t. Although it is one of the oldest deciphered writings of significant length in the world, there are earlier collections of laws that were set in the ancient Near East like the Code of Ur-Nammu or the Laws of Eshnunna. But instead this code was so significant for other important and essential reasons. One reason why the Code is so significant is because it is the earliest-known example of a ruler proclaiming publicly to his people an entire body of laws, arranged in orderly groups, so that all men might read and know what was required of them. The code was carved upon a black stone stele. A stele is a stone or wooden slab, generally taller than it is wide, that is inscribed, carved, or painted for a specific purpose. This monument stood eight feet high with 44 columns and 28 paragraphs that contained over 282 laws and was clearly intended to be reared in public view. It is also the longest surviving text from the Old Babylonian period. This is relevant because the Babylonians were one of the first known civilizations to arise. Hammurabi’s code had an even greater significance on its impact in history. Many of the 282 laws inscribed on the stele provided a base for many social and judicial laws today. The code is the earliest example of the idea of presumption of innocence, which is the principle that one is considered innocent until proven guilty. The code also suggests that both the accused and accuser have the opportunity to provide evidence. The most well-known of Hammurabi’s laws is rule 196: if a man put out the eye of another man, his eye shall