Hello Soror:
"During the years from 1792-1750 BC, Hammurabi was King of Babylonian. He founded an empire that was eventually destroyed by raids from Asia Minor. His code of laws, found on a column at Susa, is one of the greatest of the ancient codes. He lived in the ancient empire of Mesopotamia. Historically the name refers to the first dynasty of Babylon established by Hammurabi (1750 BC) and to the Neo-Babylonian period after the fall of the Assyrian Empire. Hammurabi, who had his capital at Babylon, issued a famous code of laws for the management of the empire. Babylonian religion and cuneiform writing were derived from the older culture of Sumer. Hammurabi based the code of laws on older collections of Sumerian and Akkadian laws, which he revised and expanded.
One principle of the Code of Hammurabi is that "the strong shall not oppress the weak". The code begins with him celebrating military victories. He promises to treat conquered peoples justly and he honors their gods. The provisions of the code cover many legal matters, including false accusations, witch craft, military service, land and business, regulations, family laws, tariffs, wages, trades, loans, and debts."
I learned about them in middle school in my history class. Here's a link that lists the laws. After learning about them, I always wondered why we don't apply them today (of course with some modifications to reflect our times)...I'm sure it would solve some of the crime in today's society. Laws need to be stricter:
Hammurabi's Code of Laws (scroll down and begin reading "The Code of Laws"). Basically: "If a man put out the eye of another man, his eye shall be put out."
"An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth."
