Hammurabi and the Babylonian Empire
Babylonian Empire
- Ruled by King Hammurabi
- he had a code of laws to unify his empire
- the laws were not only on his own authority, but on the word of gods
- he said that the gods told him to create the laws that applied in everyone's empire
- since the laws were based off of the gods words, they couldn't be changed
- the laws were written in steel and placed in a temple for everyone to see
- code of laws covered: trade, payment for work, marriage, and divorce
- code spelled out punishments for: stealing, causing injury, other crimes
- example: if a builder built a house, and it collapsed and killed the owner, the builder would be put to death. If the owners son got killed, the builder’s son got killed
- the laws look harsh, but the code was an important achievement. Even though it did treat all people equally, in terms of law and punishments, it was the first code of laws to apply to everyone.
Babylonian Empire
- Babylonian thrived under the rule of King Hammurabi
- Hammurabi worked to unite his empire as one
- Hammurabi made the Babylonian God, Marduk supreme over other gods
- he built roads and created postal services
- under his rule, agriculture and trade flourished
- to keep the land fertile, Hammurabi kept an irrigation system consistent
- the empire was on the banks of the Euphrates River, which was a huge center of trade
- they traded with all kinds of people from the Persian Gulf
- they traded grain, woven cloth for wood, gold, silver, precious gems, and livestock.
- helped the empire's economy
- craftspeople brought used materials from distant lands
- the arts flourished
- writers wrote historical poems that are still around today
- the society was unusually fair for the time
- the laws treated different classes differently
- slaves had some rights: slaves could work in different places, keep their wedges, own their own property, and if they had enough the could buy their freedom
- women also had many rights
- even though women’s fathers chose their husbands, women could own property, and keep money of their own
- “I rooted out the enemy above and below…… I made an end of war. I promoted the welfare of the land…. I have governed the people in peace. I have sheltered them in my strength.”