Hammurabi's Code

Babylon

The kingdom ruled by Hammurabi. It included a number of city-states and was located in Mesopotamia.

Hammurabi's Code

A set of 282 laws that dealt with almost every part of daily life

city-state

An independent city, sometimes walled, and often including the territory around it

King Hammurabi

1810-1750 BC; Babylonian King; created Code of Hammurabi

Stele

An upright stone slab or pillar, often bearing an inscription.

stylus

A pointed instrument used for writing

Akkadian

Language spoken by the Babylonians

Cuneiform

A kind of writing used in Sumer and Babylonia. Letters were carved into a stone or soft clay with a stylus, which looked a bit like a chopstick.

Tigris and Euphrates Rivers

The two rivers that surround Mesopotamia. These rivers would flood and provide silt that made the soil fertile.

irrigation canals

The technology used by early farmers to get water to the crops

Ziggurat

A rectangular tiered temple or terraced mound erected by the ancient Assyrians and Babylonians

archaeologist

A scientist who learns about ancient people by studying the things they left behind

justice

fairness; rightfulness

unjust

Not based on or behaving according to what is morally right and fair.

Shamash

God associated with the sun and human laws; Hammurabi is said to have received the law code from this god.

Hammurabi's Reign as King of Babylon

1800-1750BCE

Modern day location of Babylon archaeological site

Central Iraq

Estimated population of Babylonia

I million

Sumerians

The name of the first culture in the world to develop cities.

Mesopotamia

A region in the Middle East that included modern-day Iraq and sections of modern-day Turkey, Iran, and Syria.

Mesopotamia means

"land between the rivers"

Three social classes in Babylonia

land owners, free people who did not own land, and slaves

innocent until proven guilty

a fundamental principle of law that means the state must prove guilt; the suspect does not have to prove innocence

Law

A body of enforceable rules governing relationships among individuals and between individuals and their society.

Louvre

Museum in France where Hammurabi's Code is displayed

Three parts of Hammurabi's Code

The prologue, the 282 laws, and the Epilogue

Cuneiform meaning in Latin

"wedge-shaped"