Civilizations need to establish laws that assure justice and order. Laws not only help to establish a code of conduct that everyone must follow but also tells us about a particular region or country's administration. The Code of Hammurabi enables us to learn more about the past societies, and in this case the Babylonian society and how it was administered in terms of legal issues. The laws regarding legal issues, crimes and family conflicts can portray the everyday life of the citizens of Babylonia.
One of the important aspects of the Code of Hammurabi is that it depicts an image of culture and society in Babylonia. According to the article, Laws of Hammurabi (LH) the society was divided into three social classes (72). “The first group was the free person (awilu)” (72). “The second was the commoner (muskenu) and the third class was the slave (wardu or amtu)” (72). Making these distinctions, one can argue that the laws were applied differently and that they were different based upon the class.
One area of important significance found in the Code of Hammurabi is the legal system. The king Hammurabi has stated in the prologue: “Hammurabi, the pious prince, who venerates the gods, to make justice prevail in the land” (LH 76). It is evident that justice was one of the most important issues at that time. One example is law number three on page 81. It says “if a man comes forward to give false testimony in a case but cannot bring evidence for is accusation, if that case involves capital offense, that man shall be killed” (81). Laws ensured that order and justice prevailed in Babylonia.
The Code of Hammurabi is important to history because it offers an insight of the people in Babylonia. We can also compare this ancient code of laws with our justice system. The Code of Hammurabi presents an image of the human past.
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