Hammurabi S Judges

Global 9 Mr. Gill Name ______

Hammurabi’s Judges

As you know, King Hammurabi was the first to establish a written law code in Mesopotamia. Hammurabi did not create the code from scratch, but he compiled existing ones and created what he thought was necessary for good governance. In order for his kingdom (Babylon) to run efficiently he employed traveling judges to manage cases on the local level, interpreting his law as closely to his intent as possible. It was a serious responsibility to do so. If a judge didn’t interpret the law correction….he could lose his head.

Today you are going to be a judge for Hammurabi. The next two cases are your responsibility to decide who is guilty and what their punishment should be, according to the law.

Case 1 A young boy was adopted by a free man. He was raised by that man from the age of 1 month. One day the biological father (a slave) passed by the adoptive father beating his son as an act of discipline. The biological father, enraged, began to argue with the adoptive father about the treatment of the boy. The fight that ensued resulted in the biological father getting several teeth knocked out and his jaw broken.

Upon seeing his biological father hurt, the young boy pounced upon the adoptive father and hit him several times until the adoptive father grabbed the son and threw him on the ground, breaking his arm. There were no injuries to the adoptive father.

1. Who are the plaintiffs (accusers) in this case?

2. Who are the defendants (those accused) in this case?

3. What are their complaints (charges)?

4. What are the punishments? Case 2 A doctor was conducting an operation on an architect’s slave. The operation was carried out with a bronze lancet on the slave’s eye. Within seven days, the eye became terribly infected, with yellow puss oozing out of it until the slave died because the infection moved to his brain.

That same day (that the slave died) the doctor walked out on his porch (which the architect designed and built) and it collapsed. The doctor broke both of his legs.

1. Who are the plaintiffs (accusers) in this case?

2. Who are the defendants (those accused) in this case?

3. What are their complaints (charges)?

4. What are the punishments?