GOVERNMENT OF MESOPOTAMIA
The government in Ancient Mesopotamia was very unusual. Kings and nobles made the laws, declared war, and chose how to honor the gods
The Sumerian government did not actually write down their laws. If the king had just passed a law, every citizen was expected to learn this law and follow it. Some think the Mesopotamians formed a central state and developed a monarchy. Cities were the centers of the government.
Mesopotamian government is a combination of monarchy and democracy. Kings took over the people, and they didn’t elect top officials yet. Elected officials who served in the assembly took over people too.
There were many laws in Mesopotamia made by Hammurabi. Mesopotamia was the first to create many things – cities, the first system of writing, and many other wonderful creations.
- Iam
The Code of Hammurabi is a black stone that contains laws that people followed in Mesopotamia. These laws were written in cuneiform, which could be translated into different languages. They don’t use any of Hammurabi’s laws in today’s laws. These laws were rediscovered in the 20th century, which was 1901. It was found by an archaeological team in present-day Iran. They were med by a man named Jacques de Morgan.
The Code of Hammurabi was written to help protect the weak from the strong, and so they wouldn’t be accused of things they didn’t do. These laws were made in 1754 B.C. This code was one of the earliest known laws. They were made by a Babylonian king named Hammurabi.
There were 282 laws in the Code of Hammurabi. Here are a couple of the laws:
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“If a son strikes (hits) his father, his hand shall be cut off (law 195).”
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“If anyone is committing a robbery and is caught, then he shall be put to death (law 21).”
These laws were very important to Hammurabi. He even believed that if future kings didn’t follow the rules, the gods in heaven would put a curse on their family, land, warriors, and subjects.
The Code of Hammurabi is located in the Louvre today, which is located in Paris.
- Alea
Hammurabi (meaning great family) was the sixth king of the Babylonian family tree ruled in the central Mesopotamia, which is presently in Iraq. He was king from 1894 to 1595 B.C.
Hammurabi created a total of 282 laws. These laws were carved into a black finger-shaped stone stela (pillar) that was burglarized later by future invaders and found in 1901 by a French archaeological group in Iran. The laws can still be found in a museum, the Louvre, in Paris. These laws are still on display but none of these laws are enforced on people now a days. Many people feel the 282 laws were cruel and deadly. All of the punishments usually result in death or can result in severe injuries.
Now-a-days kids learn about Hammurabi’s set of laws, but they are different than ours. We use our laws to show that we are innocent until proven guilty. Things like an eye for an eye are also in the Bible. We use the laws as a connection to the present day.
- Chara
