Hammurabis Code :: essays research papers

Hammurabis autographThe formers of the Hammurabis rule of Laws surely created strict rules with horrific penaltys for their violation. In fact, these laws vie a big role in organization of Mesopotamian society. Reading these laws, reviewer may learn about ideals people of Mesopotamia had about crimes, their attitude to the reduce and higher social classes, and legal rectifys between men and women. Reading the laws I noticed that many crimes were punished by final stage penalty. Many laws classify that guilty person has to pay the kindred price for the physical violate one did to other person or ones relative. For display case law 196 states (encyclopedia.com) If a man put out the eye of another man, his eye shall be put out. In addition, at that time, people were penalized to death for many crimes or wrongdoings that almost never would be penalized with capital punishment at a modern time. Among such felony and misdemeanors are stealing, robbery, accusation, adultery, and desertion. Hammurabis Code also, reveals inequality between social classes. Slaves were not treated by the laws the same as free-born people. According to the Code of Hammurabi, women had some legal rights, but these rights were not equal to mens. Married women had a right to divorce as well as men. In fact, in order to acquire the right for divorce, a woman has to find a reasonable explanation for her desire, and and than the divorce could be possible. Overall, the Hammurabis Code of Laws showed that crimes in Mesopotamia were followed by severe punishments. Very often these punishments were death penalty. The laws were not equal between social classes, and slaves were subjected to the harsher punishments than free-born.