Code of Hammurabi is a set of ancient Babylonian laws created in Mesopotamia, around the 18th century a. Ç.
The main subjects discussed by the laws of the Code of Hammurabi were related to daily civil, penal and administrative matters of the empire.
Another striking feature of the Code of Hammurabi is the foundation of the so-called “law of talion”. In fact, many historians consider this the first set of laws to use the principle of “an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth”.
It is believed that one of King Hammurabi's goals in defining these laws was define a standard culture and way of acting in your realm.
Even though it was created thousands of years ago, the code was only discovered in 1901 by a French expedition to the region of ancient Mesopotamia, commanded by Jacques de Morgan.
Currently, the monument with the Code of Hammurabi is on display at the Louvre Museum in Paris, France.
The text of the Code of Hammurabi is carved into a monolithic rock. In total, there are 46 columns with 282 laws in cuneiform script and in the Akkadian language, spoken in ancient Mesopotamia by the Babylonians and Assyrians.
These laws were intended for all persons residing under the rule of King Hammurabi (or Khammu-rabi, founder of the first Babylonian Empire), and which were subdivided into classes:
- Awilum: free men and landowners independent of the temple and the palace.
- Muskenum: civil servants, with some benefits in relation to land use.
- Ward: slaves.
Find out more about the meaning of Babylon.
Talion Law and Code of Hammurabi
The Code of Hammurabi is considered to be one of the first sets of written laws to adopt the principle of the law of talion.
from latin lex talionis, a law of the talion it consists on the basis that the severity of the penalty must be proportional to the crime committed.
Popularly, the idea of the talion penalty (as it is also known) gave rise to the expression "an eye for an eye a tooth for a tooth".
That is, for each crime there is a punishment of a similar level to its severity.
Learn more about the meaning of the expression "An eye for an eye a tooth for a tooth".