HAMMURABI (1792 - 1750 BC)
Hammurabi was the sixth king of the first Babylonian dynasty and he may also have been "Amraphel", the Biblical king of Sinoar (Genesis 14:1). He led his armies to attack Akkad, Elam, Larsa, Man and Sinner, thus becoming the Babylonian Empire in much the same way that Menes unified Egypt over a thousand years earlier.
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Even though he conquered many other kingdoms, Hammurabi was lost to time like other warlords if it were not discovered that it was then and in his hands that the world's first real official code appeared. Although he was once a very famous and respected king, who is always remembered for establishing order and truth in his country, his code was considered small compared to the traditions of the people, which were almost forgotten until 1901.
In that year a French archaeologist (archaeologist) found the code among the artifacts under the ruins of ancient Babylonia. The Code of Hammurabi is engraved between the planked pieces of rock in cuneiform script.
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In the code there are 282 laws, along with evidence from 35 other codes that have been split and released. The code identifies a specific criminal and describes the reward. For example, a person who fails to repair his waterways will be asked to pay for the damages of a neighbor whose fields are flooded, a female religious leader can be burned alive if she enters a stilt (public) house without permission, a widow can inherit a portion of her husband's property equal to that of which was inherited by his son, and a dukun whose patient died while being operated on could lose his hand (cut). The Code also states that a debtor can get out of debt by giving his wife or child to the debtor at intervals of three years.
The code is an official teaching by explaining the structure of government. Since the king was also a chief religious leader, the Code also governed the religious life of the Babylonians. First of all, laws were published and coded and shown to everyone. So, not made by the government in accordance with its own opinion. In this sense, Hammurabi's Code was a precursor to the official system as it is still used by more modern societies.
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