Mesopotamia Code Of Laws Essay

Mesopotamia, meaning “between rivers,” is one of the most important stretches of land that housed the most grand and the most pathetic civilizations in the history of the world. Mesopotamian civilizations have kept some of their characteristics from 8000 B.C.E to 600 B.C.E while dramatic changes were put into effect in order to sustain a better civilization. The civilizations created the first written code of laws, created organized government structures, and developed agriculture, while trade continued to occur and rulers claimed for divine support. The Babylonian empire, perhaps one of the most well-known empires of Mesopotamia, was among the first to codify a set of laws. Laws were never written before the Code of Hammurabi and were easy to forget, but since these set of laws were written, they were always there when needed. Those set of laws were named the Code of Hammurabi, set down by King Hammurabi in order to have a civilization of peace and no crime. These code of laws were developed to give the victim fairness in any case. For example, King Hammurabi wrote, “If one man’s eye is poked out, his eye shall be took out as well.” The code of Hammurabi set examples to other civilizations to write their own set of laws for a crimeless civilization.

After the transition from the hunter-gatherer lifestyle to the agricultural lifestyle, civilizations in Mesopotamia grew where a central government and leader was needed. City-states first appeared such as Uruk, Sumer, and Ur which was under the rule of one powerful leader such as King Gilgamesh who was the Sumerian King. Religion deeply impacted the government and leaders were often called upon in religious matters. The development of such governments in Mesopotamia were soon followed by the governments of the Nile river valley civilization, the Indus river valley civilization, and the Huang He river valley