History’s First Written Laws
“An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.”
Present-day laws are complex and convoluted. It’s no wonder lawyers have to train for years to understand the rules that underly our daily activities. It’s also why we have to pay them thousands of dollars whenever we, unfortunately, have to navigate through litigation.
Laws are this way to be broad enough to deal with every nuance an issue might bring. But there was a point in history where they were simpler. The first codified and written laws in history are largely believed to be the “Code of Hammurabi,” and it ruled over an empire with only about 282 laws.
The code’s rules were elementary, and its punishments straightforward. In fact, if you’ve heard of the phrase “an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth,” you’ve already encountered one of its provisions.
Context
Hammurabi’s code dates back to approximately 1755 to 1750 BC. Immediately imposing to the eye, the text was engraved onto a massive, finger-shaped slab of basalt, with rules prescribing standards for justice and punishment.
Its author, King Hammurabi, ruled Babylon from 1792 to 1750 BC. According to his personal letters, his kingdom's aggressive expansion led to the breakdown of law and order under his rule. To address…
