Hammurabi                       

 
        In his position as King of Babylonia, Hammurabi managed to 
organize the world's first code of laws and establish Babylon as the 
dominant and successful Amorite city of its time.  "Records written on 
clay tablets show that Hammurabi was a very capable administrator and a 
successful warrior.  His rule spanned from 1792 B.C. to 1750 B.C.  When 
he became king in 1792, he was still young, but had already become 
entrusted with many official duties in his administration"(Grolier).  In 
the early years of his reign, Hammurabi mostly participated in 
traditional activities, such as repairing buildings, digging canals, and 
fighting wars.  Yet  later in his rule, Hammurabi organized a unique code 
of laws, the first of its kind, therefore making himself one of the 
world's most influential leaders.
        
        Hammurabi was primarily influential to the world because of his 
code of laws.  This code consisted of 282 provisions, systematically 
arranged under a variety of subjects.  He sorted his laws into groups 
such as family, labor, personal property, real estate, trade, and 
business. This was the first time in history that any laws had been 
categorized into various sections.  This format of organization was 
emulated by civilizations of the future.  For example, Semitic cultures 
succeeding Hammurabi's rule used some of the same laws that were included 
in Hammurabi's code.  Hammurabi's method of thought is evident in present 
day societies which are influenced by his code.  Modern governments 
currently create specific laws, which are placed into their appropriate 
family of similar laws.  Hammurabi had his laws recorded upon an eight 
foot high black stone monument.  Hammurabi based his code on principles 
like, the strong should not injure the weak, and that punishment should 
fit the crime.  As for punishment, "legal actions were initiated under 
the code by written pleadings; testimony was taken under oath.  The code 
was severe in it's penalties, prescribing "an eye for an eye, a tooth for 
a tooth.""(Grolier).  This code of laws was able to be maintained by 
invoking the authority of the gods and the state.  Although the 
punishments were different than those of today, the authority of the 
state (government) is similar.   Currently, punishments are issued 
through the state's law enforcement system, comparable to the way 
punishment was determined and enforced in ancient Babylon.  In the code, 
crimes punishable by death required a trial in front of a bench of 
judges.  Included in these crimes were: bigamy, incest, kidnapping, 
adultery and theft.  There were also laws similar to today.  For example, 
a husband who wished to divorce his wife, was required to pay alimony and 
child support.    By creating the world's first set of organized laws, 
Hammurabi constituted a model set of moral codes for other civilizations 
to duplicate.  
        
        "The code of Hammurabi is believed to have greatly influenced the 
development of Near Eastern civilizations for centuries after it was 
written"(Britannica).  Although Hammurabi failed to establish an 
effective bureaucratic system himself, his ideas were successful in 
establishing laws in Babylonia.  Since Babylon was the world's first 
metropolis, the large population needed to be bound by a strict set of 
organized civil laws.  The way Hammurabi constructed his laws is 
influential to the world today, because laws can be more easily 
understood by the people.    



                                   Bibliography                          
     "Code of Hammurabi." Encyclopedia Britannica      (1989), X, 682.
       "Hammurabi." Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia         (1994).
      "Hammurabi." Compton's Encyclopedia (1990), XI,       225.