Babylon and King Hammurabi In your notebook brainstorm

Babylon and King Hammurabi In your notebook, brainstorm with a neighbor in order to come up with a list of positive and negative aspects of people starting to live in villages, towns, and large communities. Create a T-Chart like the one below and fill it in with as many as you can think of. Positive Negative -Protection from danger -Greater supplies of food -Opportunity for trade -New job opportunities -Upkeep of an army -Collection of taxes -Waste disposal -Governing large groups of citizens

Babylon and King Hammurabi The Babylonian people created a monarchy supported by a system of taxation to pay for running the government. Tax collectors traveled throughout the empire collecting tax money from citizens. The king of Babylon was Hammurabi united the cities of Sumer and then expanded his empire.

Babylon Empire – 1787 B. C.

A Crossroads of Trade Babylon became rich due to trade. Caravans, traveled back and forth from the Sumerian cities in the south to the city of Akkad in the north. Along the way, they always stopped in Babylon to trade. Roads were built throughout the empire which made travel easier and encouraged trade. Babylon had special markets, called bazaars, that people could go to and buy cotton cloth from India. They could also buy spices from Egypt there.

Laws People have been killing, stealing, and injuring for quite a long time. How did the earliest civilizations handle these situations? Have we made any progress in four thousand years?

Hammurabi’s Code Hammurabi was the king who united most of Mesopotamia and conquered the Sumerians. Hammurabi developed a written set of laws for his people to follow in 1790 BC. A total of 282 laws form the Hammurabi’s Code. Law number 196 states: If a man put out the eye of another man, his eye shall be put out. Some people summarize Hammurabi’s code by saying “an eye for an eye. ” A statue of Hammurabi

Hammurabi’s Code provided that the punishment should be similar to the crime. Under this principle, breaking another person’s arm in anger is punished by having your own arm broken. For certain crimes people could be put to death. Many laws warned lawbreakers of what to expect. A person who accidentally broke the law was just as guilty as someone who meant to break the law. The code was carved into stone and placed in public places for all to see. The laws were meant to serve as a lasting way to keep order and prevent troubles in the future.

Hammurabi’s Code If any one steals the minor son of another, he shall be put to death. If any one is committing a robbery and is caught, then he shall be put to death. If any one open his ditches to water his crop, but is careless, and the water floods the field of his neighbor, then he shall pay his neighbor for his loss. If a surgeon causes the death of his patient, his hand shall be cut off.

Hammurabi’s Code Hammurabi wasn't the first ruler to establish a code of laws. Earlier records date back four hundred years. Many of Hammurabi's laws, as it turns out, were exact copies of earlier Sumerian laws. His code, however, is the best preserved legal document giving us an idea of the life and social structure of the people during Hammurabi's reign.

Babylonia is Conquered Hammurabi conquered many neighboring cities, and he kept expanding his empire. Hammurabi would often go to war against his allies (friends) as well. When the city of Elam attacked Larsa, Hammurabi helped Larsa defend themselves. Once Elam was conquered, Hammurabi turned right around and conquered Larsa!

Babylonia is Conquered Each time that Babylon would conquer another city, Hammurabi would take the city’s chariots, weapons, tools, and all their riches. Trading helped Babylon get rich, and so did conquest. Though Hammurabi formed a large and rich empire, the people that ruled after him could not keep it together. The empire kept getting smaller and smaller until eventually it was destroyed.

Hammurabi’s Code Activity With your table, take a minute to read the scenario below and debate what Hammurabi’s punishment would be. Example Scenario: What should be done to the carpenter who builds a house that falls and kills the owner? Answer: If a builder builds a house for a man and does not make its construction sound, and the house which he has built collapses and causes the death of the owner of the house, the builder shall be put to death.

Hammurabi’s Code Activity Scenario: What should be done when a "sister of god" (or nun) enters the wine shop for a drink? Answer: If a "sister of god" (nun) who is not living in a convent opens a wine shop or enters a wine shop for a drink, they shall burn that woman.

Hammurabi’s Code Activity Scenario: What happens if a man is unable to pay his debts? Answer: If a man be in debt and is unable to pay his creditors, he shall sell his wife, son, or daughter, or bind them over to service. For three years they shall work in the houses of their purchaser or master; in the fourth year they shall be given their freedom.

Hammurabi’s Code Activity Scenario: What should happen to a boy who slaps his father? Answer: If a son strike his father, his hands shall be hewn off.

Hammurabi’s Code Activity Scenario: How is the truth determined when one man brings an accusation against another? Answer: If any one bring an accusation against a man, and the accused go to the river and leap into the river, if he sink in the river his accuser shall take possession of his house. But if the river proves that the accused is not guilty, and he escapes unhurt, then he who had brought the accusation shall be put to death, while he who leaped into the river shall take possession of the house that had belonged to his accuser

Assignment Make a list of 10 laws (Hammurabi style) for our classroom. Include both a scenario and a punishment for breaking the law.