1) How did ancient law codes, such as Hammurabi’s, come into existence?
The collection of law codes, like ideas customs, and material things, occur over a long period of. time. Traditions are passed on through social and political structure eventually formalizing into organized laws.
2) Why do we study ancient law codes? What can they tell us about civilizations?
Those who do not know our past are condemned to repeat it. We study ancient laws as both a point of reference to how live our lives today based on the lessons of the past. Some laws stand the test of time and others no longer exist as society rejects them as archaic.
By studying the laws of past civilizations we can appreciate who we are today. Our past lives impact our cultures, norms and values directly and indirectly. Shaping, not only our lives but our future generations.
3) How were the lifestyles and religious beliefs of Hebrews different from the Mesopotamians?
There are many differences between the lifestyle and religious beliefs of Mesopotamians and Hebrews. The primary religious differences between the two is Hebrews believed in one god and Mesopotamians believed many gods. Another key differences in lifestyles were the number of written laws followed. The Hebrews, under Torah, had a limited number of formalized laws than the Mesoptamians, which served more as guiding principles. Additional key differences in the space of agriculture. Mesopotamian law placed an emphasis of collective accountability to each other. Hebrew placed less emphasis on the neighbor and more on taking care of the poor.
4) How were concepts such as retaliation and perjury similar in the two law codes?
Hebrew law appears heavily influenced by Mesopotamian law in the area or retaliation. Hebrew discuss an “eye for and eye” which is a direct reflection of laws 196 and 206 that states “if a man has put out the eye of a free man, they shall put out his eye.
Both societies are also aligned on their views of perjury. Essentially both have laws that frown upon lying to extremes including death.
5) Explain how marriage was different for Hebrews and Mesopotamians than it is today.
Mesopotamian laws appears to protect the woman more than Hebrew laws in the space of marriage. One key example is the handling of the dowry. In Mesopotamian society the equivalent of the dowry brought to the marriage by a woman was returned to her in case of a divorce. Hebrew society was less supportive. Both societies were accepting of allowing a slave girl for child bearing when the wife was unable to conceive. However, both societies were equally harsh on infidelity of the marriage. These are stark contrast in today’s society. Aspects of dowry, slave girls and death as retribution for infidelity are no longer the norms. However there are threads of these concepts that still exist. Examples include paying alimony, alternatives in conception and the view of infidelity in the court of law.
6) How did the different environmental settings of the Hebrews and Mesopotamians affect their laws regarding agriculture?
There are key differences in the societies in the space of agriculture. Mesopotamians relied on strict agricultural guidelines. The lands was shaped in honeycombs with irrigation canals and dikes. The management upkeep was critical and interdependent. The Mesopotamians held their people accountable and responsible to their neighbors. If I impacted my neighbor’s land by my poor actions, I had to pay restitution to my neighbor. The Hebrew culture focused less on the neighbor and more on helping the poor. It took on a greater responsibility to protect and support the poor by creating shared lands and food.
7) How are the laws of Moses and Hammurabi different regarding the poor?
Hammurabi’s laws protected the land lord more than the poor. Lands were owned by the few and rented to the poor. Thus, the poor were held accountable by landlords when crops were not properly tended. The Hebrew culture were more supportive of the poor and often carved out land for the poor. Both societies place and emphasis on social class and the handling of slaves. Justice had a clear role based on social standing in the Mesopotamian society. However, the Hebrews had no such structure and created laws to support the less fortunate. The Hebrew model set up and influence future societies.
8) In what way did religious belief reinforce both the laws of Hammurabi and Moses? Give specific examples from the reading.
Under the laws of Hammurabi, society focused on multiple gods and had multiple laws to create structure. This society not only had more laws but detail structure to keep society in line. Hammurabi clearly believed in many gods often asked to curse anyone who changed his work. He would call on certain gods to take action on specific areas. One example is to call on Ninlil “the great mother” to destroy lands. Hammurabi set precedent for legal action where Moses set precedent for moral direction. The Ten Commandments today, still play an major role in societies laws and political practices. The belief in one god allow the Hebrew to take a more
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