Hammurabi’s Code

W2 Discussion 1

Your initial post should be roughly 250 words and you should address the specific materials assigned, citing your sources appropriately.  Remember that at the center of our Discussion Board work is the interpretation of primary sources.  Once you have posted your initial post, please respond substantively to at least two other students.  Thereafter your instructor will guide the conversation.

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Topic 1: Law Code of Hammurabi

Required Reading:

Kevin Reilly,  The Human Journey, Chapter 2

Website: Law Code of Hammurabi, King of Babylon –

Website: Code of Hammurabi: Ancient Babylonian Laws –

Website: 8 Things You May Not Know about Hammurabi’s Code –

Primary Source:

Website: Hammurabi,  The Code of Hammurabi [-2250] (scroll about half way down the page past the transliteration to the English translation)

Discussion Prompts:

After reading Chapter 2 and the material at the websites, and viewing the videos, please make a 250-word initial post that answers the following discussion prompt about the primary source:

You can see from the web readings and the video that there is disagreement about the purpose, nature, and fairness of Hammurabi’s Code, a primary source created at the time of Hammurabi. There are 282 “laws” in the Code. Scan the whole Code at   and then read 28 “laws” (10%) carefully before answering the discussion prompts: How is the Code organized? Why do you think some laws are first? What do the laws tell you about the nature of early urban life? What seem to be major concerns? Do the laws seem just? Why or why not?

There are 282 “laws” in the Code. Scan the whole Code at   and then read 28 “laws” (10%) carefully before answering the discussion prompts: How is the Code organized? Why do you think some laws are first? What do the laws tell you about the nature of early urban life? What seem to be major concerns? Do the laws seem just? Why or why not?

Introduction

The Code of Ur-Nammu is an important modification of the Sumerian legal code. It was a direct response to the Yassa, a law imposed by the Gutians in Sumer. The Code of Ur-Nammu has 282 laws, 10% of which are critical clauses that define the legal system and distinguish it from other societies.

The Code of Ur-Nammu (An Akkadian Dictionary) is an important modification of the Sumerian legal code.

The Code of Ur-Nammu is a legal code created by the king of Ur, Ur-Nammu, in the 21st century BC. It was a direct response to the Yassa, a law imposed by the Gutians in Sumer. The Code required punishments for crimes such as murder and theft; it also established penalties for breaking community property laws like cattle raiding and theft from temples.[1]

The Code was based on an earlier Sumerian version (the Sumerian King List); however, it contains some new laws not found in previous versions.[2]

It was a direct response to the Yassa, a law imposed by the Gutians in Sumer.

The Code of Ur-Nammu was a direct response to the Yassa, a law imposed by the Gutians in Sumer. The Code was created in order to reestablish peace and stability after fighting broke out between two rival cities, Kesh and Ur.

The Code of Ur-Nammu has 282 laws, 10% of which are critical clauses that define the legal system and distinguish it from other societies.

The Code of Ur-Nammu is a Sumerian legal code that changed many aspects of life in Mesopotamia. It is considered one of the most important documents ever written, and it contains 282 laws or “laws” (10%) that define how people should behave and what they can expect from each other. In addition, there are critical clauses in which officials must be fined if they do not obey their orders.

The majority of the Code’s rules concern property rights: who owns what land or livestock; how debts are paid back; how much compensation someone has to give when someone else dies or loses something because of negligence by another person (called

dibs); how much compensation someone has to pay for damage done by animals owned by another person (called dibba).

The Code of Ur-Nammu is a Sumerian legal code that changed many aspects of life in Mesopotamia.

The Code of Ur-Nammu is a Sumerian legal code that changed many aspects of life in Mesopotamia. It was a direct response to the Yassa, a law imposed by the Gutians in Sumer.

The Code establishes rights and responsibilities between individuals and groups, who are often named by their titles or names (e.g., “the people”). The Code also addresses property rights and communal ownership among members of a community or family unit; it regulates marriage, divorce, inheritance laws; gives guidance on how disputes should be resolved; provides penalties for various crimes including murder or theft; details remedies for injured parties who cannot afford compensation through court proceedings (such as paying fines instead); establishes rules about payment for damages caused by negligence; declares penalties for breaking these rules without prior permission from someone else within authority’s jurisdiction over such issue(s); specifies how witnesses should testify under oath before judges sitting on high bench made out of stone blocks with metal supports underneath them so they don’t fall down during trial sessions held twice yearly at certain times each year when judges sit together looking over evidence submitted by lawyers defending opposing sides’ positions against each other.”

Conclusion

The Code of Ur-Nammu is a very important Sumerian legal code that changed many aspects of life in Mesopotamia. The laws are complex, but they are all based on justice, fairness and equality for everyone. When compared with other legal codes from different periods in history (such as Hammurabi or Moses), this one seems to be most concerned with protecting individual rights rather than imposing harsh punishments on criminals or sinners. For example: there’s no death penalty nor any mention about slavery or indentured servitude in Ur-Nammu’s laws! So it seems like the people who wrote these statutes really cared about their fellow citizens’ welfare above all else.