In what ways does the code of Hammurabi exhibit the influenc

In what ways does the code of Hammurabi exhibit the influences of the urban civilization for which these laws were issues?

Solution

The structure of the Code is no doubt familiar to modern lawyers, and ties with urban civilization because it shaped the law system.

1. It set a set of rules to enforce laws and to maintain peace in Egypt, much like that of the USA\'s laws and principles.

2. The codex reveals the hierarchical culture of a warlord aristocracy that was highly dependent on domestic agriculture. As with other near eastern societies of the time, the institution of slavery was well established and regulated.

3. The women and children of Babylon, although afforded some protections under the law, were basically viewed as another form of property. Perhaps the most interesting part of the code is the fact that many areas of modern law were already being addressed by the Babylonians.

4. Specific sections in the codex are dedicated to labor law, medical malpractice, architectural law, divorce and child custody, and bankruptcy protections. These areas are in addition to having the standard criminal prohibitions against murder, rape, robbery, assault and perjury. It is in these criminal statutes that the code contains one of the earliest examples of the “lex talionis” (an eye for an eye) theory of justice.