Babylonian Class Hierarchy It’s Presence in Hammurabi’s...

Babylonian Class Hierarchy It’s Presence in Hammurabi’s Code of Law Upon reading articles and texts concerning Hammurabi’s Code of law, I made a connection between its context and the class hierarchy of early Babylonian civilizations. The structure of the code of law parallels the expectation or rights of those in the different class levels. There are standards that each may be held to, and deviations of those standards have differing penalties for the different classes of peoples. What I found to be interesting, was that slaves (the ardu class) were not specifically born of a certain people or race, but could become a slave as a result of being a prisoner of war, through their crimes, their debts or as a means of self chosen servitude†¦show more content†¦When the statement, â€Å"The great ones surround you.† This led me to believe that this pharaoh believed he’d become equal to the God, and would be one of the great ones to surround the God. Lastly, when the statement said, â€Å"The watchers will wait on you.† I took this to mean slaves in the afterlife, perhaps a sort of purgatory for less fortunate souls. I question why the pharaohs needed these incantations to be written in the pyramids, if they were to be of equal stature on Earth? According to Strayer, p. 108, the pharaohs were believed to be a god in human form. I assume it’s the result of a need for reassurance for their place in the afterlife, a last fee paid or plea for their position in the afterlife. Babylonian class hierarchy seemed present in life and the afterlife according to these sources. The Code of Hammurabi provided order and guidance as to how to sustain these classes and maintain order amongst the earlier civilizations. Bibliography †¢ Strayer, Robert W. Ways of the World: A Brief Global History, Volume 1 †¢ avalon.law.yale.edu/ancient/hammpre.asp Johns, Rev. Claude Herman Walter, The Avolon Project- Babylonian Law: The Code of Hummuri, Yale Law School, Lillian Goldman Law Library, 9/29/2012 †¢ www.timemaps.com/civilization/Ancient-Mesopotamia Civilization: Ancient Mesopotamia,