Hammurabi’s Code

The Rule of Law

The “Rule of Law”

-The idea that all members of a society, even the rich and powerful, must obey the laws.

Hammurabi’s Job

Hammurabi believed that the gods wanted him to create a set of laws to help maintain peace and order in Babylonia.

1754 B.C.E.

7 ft. Stone Tablet with 282 laws

Discovered by archaeologists in 1902

Written in first language: Cuneiform

Your Job…

Put yourself in the shoes of an Ancient Middle Eastern ruler -- what laws do you enact to allow for the most stable and well-functioning society?

#1 What should be done to the carpenter who builds a house that falls and kills the owner?

#2 What should be done when a “sister of god” or a nun enters the wine shop for a drink?

#3 What happens if a man is unable to pay his debts (money he owes people)?

#4 What happens to the owner of a bar who fails to report bad characters gathered at his/her place?

#5 What should be done if a child is disrespectful or disagrees with his/her teacher?

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#6 What shall happen to the boy who slaps his father?

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#7 What shall happen if a person breaks into a house to steal something?

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#8 What happens if a man shall put out the eye of another man?

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WWHD

• #1 If a builder builds a house for a man and does not make its construction sound, and the house which he has built collapses and causes the death of the owner of the house, the builder shall be put to death.

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• #2 If a "sister of god" (nun) who is not living in a convent opens a wine shop or enters a wine shop for a drink, they shall burn that woman.

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• #3 he shall sell his wife, son, or daughter, or bind them over to service. For three years they shall work in the houses of their purchaser or master; in the fourth year they shall be given their freedom.

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• #4 If he/she does not arrest those characters and bring them to the palace, that wine seller shall be put to death.

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• #5 That child should be lowered into a pit of snakes, then clean the teachers house, then bring the teacher many gifts and worship him like a God.

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• #6 The boy shall have his hands hewn (chopped) off.

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• #7 The man who steals shall be put to death and buried.

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#8 That man shall have his eye put out.

“An eye for an eye”

Follow-up Questions

Please answer the following questions in your notes and

be ready to discuss:

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1. What is the “rule of law” and why is it important?

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2. Would you rather live in a country with harsher laws and less crime, or less laws and more crime? Explain.

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3. Are there any laws in the U.S. that you don’t agree with? If so, what are they and why?

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4. How do laws get changed in this country?

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