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ʿAmmurāpi 𒄩𒄠𒈬𒊏𒁉 | |
|---|---|
 ʿAmmurāpi (left) | |
| Born | c. 1810 BCE Bābilim, Country of Akkad |
| Died | c. 1750 BCE Bābilim, Country of Akkad |
| Nationality | Amorite |
ʿAmmurāpi (c. 1810 BCE – 1750 BCE), commonly known as Hammurabi, was the sixth king of the first dynasty of Babylon. He greatly expanded his kingdom to include Aššur, Ešnunna, and Mari. He also issued a new legal code that was much more advanced than earlier Sumerian and Akkadian laws. His son Šamšuilina became king after his death.[1]
Conquests[edit | edit source]
In 1785 BCE, ʿAmmurāpi allied with Rimenzu, the Elamite king of Larsa, to conquer Unug and Isin. He overthrew the son of the Assyrian king Šamšīaddu, who was ruling over Mari, and installed Zimrilim as king. In 1762 BCE, ʿAmmurāpi turned against Rimenzu and conquered Larsa. Two years later, he defeated Zimrilim and destroyed his palace.[1]
Legal code[edit | edit source]
ʿAmmurāpi created a legal code with 282 articles that covered civil, criminal, and administrative law. It was the most advanced set of laws until the Roman code of Ioustinianos more than 2,000 years later and was studied in schools until the first century CE. ʿAmmurāpi's code acknowledged the concept of guilt and intent and had different punishments for murder and manslaughter.[1]
The code divided people into full citizens (literally called "husband's sons"), free men with fewer rights (muškēnum), and slaves. Mutilation of citizens was punished with equal physical retaliation, but mutilation of muškēnum was only punished by a fine. Physicians who committed malpractice lost their hand if the patient was a citizen but only had to pay a fine if the patient was a slave. People who stole the property of a muškēnum had to pay ten times its value as a fine, and people who stole from the king or temples had to pay thirtyfold. If the robber was not found, the community had to pay back the damages. Slaves who refused to obey their owners were harshly punished, and people who stole or hid slaves were executed.[1]
Debtors who could not pay became the slaves of their creditor for three years and were then freed. The deadline for paying back debt was extended by a year if the debtor's crops were destroyed by a natural disaster. People who leased land for agriculture had to pay back one third of the harvest from a field or two-thirds from a garden. Soldiers received land from the king which they passed on to their children and could not be lost due to debt.[1]
All marriages required a written contract. Adultery for women was punishable by death unless her husband forgave her. Male adultery was only illegal if it involved the wife of another free man. Fathers had to teach their sons their craft and could only disinherit them if they committed crimes.[1]
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Grigory Bongard-Levin, Boris Piotrovsky (1988). Ancient Civilisations of East and West. https://archive.org/details/ancientciveastwest/mode/1up.