Hammurabi, first ruler of the Babylonian empire, holds the claim of restoring order and justice to Mesopotamia through the establishment of his cod, a code that has affected not only Babylon, but modern times as well and perhaps even the bible. Hammurabi wanted his subjects to obey him because they believed he made just and fair laws, not because they were apprehensive of his formidable military. In about 1786 B.C.E. he wrote two hundred and eighty two laws governing almost every aspect of life in Babylon, onto an eight foot black stone tablet. These became known as “The Code of Hammurabi”. He set the stone where everyone could see and read them. No one had ever set up a code of law to this extent before, although there were several others that came close over the previous four hundred years. Although Hammurabi had the right motives for producing these laws, which he believed Marduk the chief Babylonian God had given to him, many of them seem harsh and cruel by today’s......
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