Similarities Between Hammurabi Code Of Law And Modern Day Laws

Hammurabi’s Code of Law and modern day laws are pretty similar but different in my eyes. Hammurabi's code of law and today's laws both offer safety of property and different punishments for different crimes based on severity. But first, let’s start off with a little about who Hammurabi is and what his code of law was. Hammurabi is the most well-known and celebrated Mesopotamian King who ruled the Babylonian Empire (from 1792-1750 B.C.E). He was mainly concerned about keeping order in his kingdom and the need to unify the groups he controlled when his empire/cities grew. When he began ruling the city-state of Babylon, he had control of barley 50 square miles of his territory.. that is almost nothing. So Hammurabi decided he needed some guidelines or rules to keep his

The code of laws was carved into a stone monument that stood about seven feet tall and was called a stele. The upper portion of the stone monument has a picture (carving of a picture really) that showed Hammurabi standing in front of a sun god who was sitting down. The laws we have today and Hammurabi’s code of laws are pretty similar, for example both laws state that “without a divorce arrangement, marriage with your significant other is invalid” or “if a person has borne false witness, he shall pay out of pocket”. Hammurabi’s empire went into decline after his death in 1750 B.C. before unraveling entirely in 1595 B.C., when a Hittite army sacked Babylon and claimed its riches. Hammurabi’s Code proved so influential that it endured as a legal guide in the region for several centuries, even as rule over Mesopotamia. Copying the Code also appears to have been a popular assignment for scribes-in-training. In fact, fragments of the laws have been found on clay tablets dating to as late as the 5th century B.C.—more than 1,000 years after Hammurabi’s