The Babylonian Empire By around 1800s B C

The Babylonian Empire

By around 1800’s B. C. the city-state of Babylon had broken away from the control of Ur under its king, Hammurabi. Between 1790 B. C. and 1750 B. C. , Hammurabi, the king of the city-state of Babylon, conquered and united most of Mesopotamia. He formed a large empire that became known as the Babylonian Empire. Over the next 20 years, Hammurabi would invade and conquer almost all of Babylon’s neighbors. Other states which were unconquered were forced to pay tribute in the form of grain, gold, animals, or slaves.

During his 42 -year reign, Hammurabi worked to rebuild or expand many of Babylon’s temples as well as its walls. Hammurabi both encouraged and oversaw agriculture, irrigation, and building projects. To pay for this work he also improved Babylon’s tax collection system so that all people in the empire paid a fair share. However, he is best known for a set of 282 laws which came to be known as Hammurabi’s Code – the earliest known set of written laws in the world.

Code of Hammurabi Originally, each city-state had its own laws. Hammurabi collected these laws, sorted them, and came up with one collection of laws. These laws covered such matters as family relationships, taxes, land business deals, trade, loans, debts, wages, and crime. Each crime had a specific punishment – often very harsh. Punishments were also unequal with slaves or poorer people treated differently than the wealthy. Women were also treated differently than men.

Hammurabi changed the old laws that were unfair and made clear those that were confusing. He had the code carved into stone and placed in a public place for everyone to see. To Hammurabi, the code represented a way to rule. Some of the laws followed the idea of “an eye for an eye. ” These laws called for punishments that matched the crimes that had been committed. For example, a man who broke someone’s arm in a fight would be punished by having his or her arm broken.

After Hammurabi died in 1750 BC, the Babylonian Empire entered into a swift decline as different parts began to break away. An Akkadian dynasty once again ruled over lands to the south with a people called the Kassites who invaded from the northeast.