The history we know of the Hebrew people comes mostly from the Torah (the first 5 books of the Christian bible). Some have seen the Code as an early form of constitutional government, the presumption of innocence, and the ability to present evidence in one's case.Īh.good question. For example, if a person from a noble class broke an enslaved person’s arm, they would have to pay a fine, whereas if a noble person broke another noble person's arm, the offending noble would have their arm broken. The Code consists of 282 laws with scaled punishments depending on social status, adjusting 'an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth'.
Written in about 1754 BCE by the sixth king of Babylon, Hammurabi, the Code was written on stone stele-slabs-and clay tablets. Hammurabi’s code is one of the oldest deciphered writings of significant length in the world. It’s similar to the Sumerian king Ur-Nammu of Ur’s code, written from 2100 to 2050 BCE.
One of the most important works of this First Dynasty of Babylon was the compilation in about 1754 BCE of a code of laws, called the Code of Hammurabi, which echoed and improved upon the earlier written laws of Sumer, Akkad, and Assyria.
