Hammurabi Justice
Samantha Arnold – Code of Hammurabi – Unequal Justice for All
Ancient Mesopotamia’s hierarchical social structure provides the setting for the Code of Hammurabi. The Amorite King, Hammurabi, ruled Mesopotamia for more than 40 years, originally over a 50-mile radius of Babylon; however, toward the latter part of his reign, he extended his rule toward Assyria and northern Syria. In an effort to unify these multifaceted societies, he published the Code of Hammurabi laws. His effort was a noble one – to end wickedness and end oppression of the weak; therefore, he proclaimed he held a divine commission “to rise like the sun over the black-headed people, and to light up the land. “ Though Hammurabi’s code covered a plethora of concerns and penalties regarding people, palaces, and property, …show more content…
The punishment for stealing items from a Temple or Palace carried a much harsher punishment than thefts from other places; “if any one steal cattle or sheep, or an ass, or a pit or a goat, if it belong to a god or the court, the thief shall pay thirtyfold;” however the same theft from a freed man is to be fined only tenfold. And along the same line, if some one steals a water-wheel from a field, he must pay only five shekels. The value of a waterwheel from this time is unknown; however, the preponderance of information is that it would be only tenfold its value, though a farmer’s loss cost the same as a temple or palace’s cost for the same item.
Though Hammurabi’s code provides punishments to every class and places value on each member of society, they vary depending on the social hierarchy of both the offender and the victim. This dominate approach assumes man is incapable of moral self guidance; so, the long arm of the Code of Hammurabi places indicts harsh punishments to maintain a moral society where even the little man is protected, even if it is unequal protection and justice for
Ancient Mesopotamia’s hierarchical social structure provides the setting for the Code of Hammurabi. The Amorite King, Hammurabi, ruled Mesopotamia for more than 40 years, originally over a 50-mile radius of Babylon; however, toward the latter part of his reign, he extended his rule toward Assyria and northern Syria. In an effort to unify these multifaceted societies, he published the Code of Hammurabi laws. His effort was a noble one – to end wickedness and end oppression of the weak; therefore, he proclaimed he held a divine commission “to rise like the sun over the black-headed people, and to light up the land. “ Though Hammurabi’s code covered a plethora of concerns and penalties regarding people, palaces, and property, …show more content…
The punishment for stealing items from a Temple or Palace carried a much harsher punishment than thefts from other places; “if any one steal cattle or sheep, or an ass, or a pit or a goat, if it belong to a god or the court, the thief shall pay thirtyfold;” however the same theft from a freed man is to be fined only tenfold. And along the same line, if some one steals a water-wheel from a field, he must pay only five shekels. The value of a waterwheel from this time is unknown; however, the preponderance of information is that it would be only tenfold its value, though a farmer’s loss cost the same as a temple or palace’s cost for the same item.
Though Hammurabi’s code provides punishments to every class and places value on each member of society, they vary depending on the social hierarchy of both the offender and the victim. This dominate approach assumes man is incapable of moral self guidance; so, the long arm of the Code of Hammurabi places indicts harsh punishments to maintain a moral society where even the little man is protected, even if it is unequal protection and justice for