Hammurabi Law, or First Written Source of Law

The oldest source of law is considered to be the law.Hammurabi, or rather their whole set, which governed the life of the ancient Babylonian society. It was discovered during one of the archaeological expeditions in the territory of Mesopotamia, between the legendary Tigris and Euphrates rivers. French archaeologists worked in Susa, one of the oldest cities in modern Iraq. Finds were

impressive:artefacts, numerous clay tablets with mysterious cuneiform texts, household utensils. Among them was a special subject - a black basalt pillar with a height of 2.25 meters. The lower part was completely covered with cuneiform signs. Above there was a picture of the sun god Shamash. He passed some scroll to a man in royal robes.

The find was delivered to Paris, to the nationalMuseum of France Louvre. The researchers immediately came to the delight, deciphering the mysterious inscriptions. It was an amazing work of art and at the same time a reminder of the ancient law, called "the laws of the Babylonian King Hammurabi."

How did this lawyer appear?In order to answer this question, you should look at the political map of the region. In the first half of the XVIII century. BC. Mesopotamia was a series of cities that often competed with each other. Hammurabi united these states into a single whole, ceased feuds and chose Babylon as his capital. In order to centralize his power, he adopts his own set of rules and regulations. Such is the story of the laws of Hammurabi, but what is their essence?

The lawyer, who was handed over to the king by Shamash himself,consists of an introduction, articles (the total number of which is equal to 282) and conclusion. Violation of them was considered a crime against a deity, therefore it was punished very severely. Hammurabi’s law should have given Babylonia peace, justice and prosperity. The articles are drawn up in a casuistic form, that is, they do not describe general norms, but specific instances of life.

The Hammurabi Act approved the division of society intofull and incomplete. They were responsible for the same crimes in different ways. The state used slave labor, and the dependent person was completely subordinate to the will of his master. However, the slave could have his own farm, family, and even enter into civil law transactions. Hammurabi's law contributed to the formation of the institution of private property, but he also regulated civil and family relations, heredity.

The Babylonian criminal policy was also interesting.of the state. Hammurabi wanted to eradicate evil, fought against criminals, atheists and villains. His laws called for retribution, punishment, which was equal to the damage done. The principle that says "an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth," which is later found in the Bible, came from here. In addition, intimidation, a system of fines and a public court were used as a relic of the tribal system, and extenuating circumstances were taken into account.

Although the lawyer Hammurabi was used for quite a short time, his influence on the development of the legal culture of the world is invaluable.