I traveled back in time to Babylon in 1755 B.C. to meet Hammurabi or as he called himself “Strong King of Babel.” Hammurabi created a set of laws called “Hammurabi’s Code.” I went back to see how his code originated. I also wondered if people in that time liked the laws or feared them. Hammurabi’s laws included logical and also harsh rules. He also made many positive changes in Babylon and was a very hands-on leader. Hammurabi was a very good leader, but I think many of his laws went too far.
Hammurabi’s Code included both civil (having to with personal rights and property) and criminal (having to do with conduct) laws. The most well known aspect in Hammurabi’s code was the idea of an eye for an eye. I asked Hammurabi about this. Hammurabi told me that it was a matter of logic and fairness. He gave me the following example: If a house builder built a house and it collapsed and killed the owner, the house builder would be put to death. But if the house collapsed and happened to kill the son or daughter of the owner, the house builder’s son or daughter would be killed. I asked him if he thought this was extreme. He replied no, and that his laws were intended “to bring about the rule of righteousness in the land, to destroy the wicked and evil-doers, so that the strong should not harm the weak.” Hammurabi listed these intentions in the introduction to his laws.
He called himself the “Strong King of Babel” because his careful planning made the small, Babylon city-state into a large, powerful state. He built city walls, restored temples, and he improved irrigation canals for local farming. One of the things he did was to design straight streets that had intersections at right angles. This made getting around simpler for travel and trade, not to mention making property rights more clear. The other reason he was a strong king was because he was able to defeat and unite Mesopotamia in to one kingdom. Hammurabi explained to me that one of the reasons he was a strong leader was that he personally made sure that things were done right.
Hammurabi liked to take control of things like projects, events, and even the Euphrates River. Hammurabi told me that he wanted to control the Euphrates River because it provided water for agriculture and trade routes for his cargo ships. Many other rulers wanted to control the river, such as Rim-Sin of Larsa. As example of Hammurabi’s strong determination, he actually used the river against Rim-Sin by damming the water and releasing a flood. At other times, Hammurabi would withhold water to be used for crops and drinking. Hammurabi told me that he thought these tactics were necessary and that his willingness to use them made him a strong leader.
Hammurabi took laws from all of the city-states and combined them into one code, or set of laws. His strong leadership, careful planning, and desire to maintain control of his kingdom and people no doubt were reasons that he created such a complete and wide-reaching set of rules. Although many of the laws in Hammurabi’s Code were cruel, just like some of his decisions and actions as a leader, they eventually became the basis of many of our modern laws. Although I think Hammurabi got the job done as a leader and a lawmaker, he sometimes did so at too high of a cost.
Do you think Hammurabi went too far?
By: Ace Wells
Sources Used:
Spielvogel, Jackson J. Journey Across Time. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2005. Print.
Bauer, Susan Wise. The Story of the World. Virginia: Peace Hill Press, 2006. Print.
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Ace Visits The Great Pyramid
When I first found out how to time travel, the first thing I wanted to do was go back and see how the blocks were made and stacked for the Ancient Egyptian pyramids. I decided to go back to 2589 B.C.E. to see how the Great Pyramid was built. I wanted to see it because it is the oldest of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World and is the only Wonder still in existence.
I met up with a man who was chiseling a large piece of limestone. I introduced myself and he said his name was Nefertum. I asked him how they got the large stones so smooth and square. I was so surprised when he showed me simple tools including chisels and boning rods that were used to smooth the stone. Just like Machu Picchu, the stones were so skillfully fit that not even a knife blade could fit in between them.
I looked over my shoulder and saw people hauling giant stones up a long ramp to the pyramid. I asked what the ramp was for and he said as the pyramid grew higher, the ramp would grow longer and higher so the workers could haul stones up the ramp to set the next layer. After the pyramid was complete they would remove the ramp.
I asked Nefertum if the workers were slaves because I knew that was a popular myth. He told me that most of the men building the pyramids were skilled laborers. He added that during the annual flooding season of the Nile, the peasants left their flooded fields to help with the building. It was a real community effort!
The Great Pyramid was built by Khufu to be his final resting place. It was built in Giza, which is currently near the modern city of Cairo. Although it was still under construction when I was there, the finished pyramid was 481 feet tall. The Great Pyramid is the tallest pyramid in the world.
I have a question for you. Do you know who is buried in Khufu’s tomb?
By: Ace Wells
Sources Used:
Spielvogel, Jackson J. Journey Across Time. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2005.
Print.
Putnam, James. Eyewitness Pyramid. New York: DK Publishing, 2011. Print.
“Into The Great Pyramid.” National Geographic. 2002. Film.
“Pyramids.” The British Museum. n.d. Web. 16 Nov. 2011 http://www.ancientegypt.co.uk/pyramids/home.html
I met up with a man who was chiseling a large piece of limestone. I introduced myself and he said his name was Nefertum. I asked him how they got the large stones so smooth and square. I was so surprised when he showed me simple tools including chisels and boning rods that were used to smooth the stone. Just like Machu Picchu, the stones were so skillfully fit that not even a knife blade could fit in between them.
I looked over my shoulder and saw people hauling giant stones up a long ramp to the pyramid. I asked what the ramp was for and he said as the pyramid grew higher, the ramp would grow longer and higher so the workers could haul stones up the ramp to set the next layer. After the pyramid was complete they would remove the ramp.
I asked Nefertum if the workers were slaves because I knew that was a popular myth. He told me that most of the men building the pyramids were skilled laborers. He added that during the annual flooding season of the Nile, the peasants left their flooded fields to help with the building. It was a real community effort!
The Great Pyramid was built by Khufu to be his final resting place. It was built in Giza, which is currently near the modern city of Cairo. Although it was still under construction when I was there, the finished pyramid was 481 feet tall. The Great Pyramid is the tallest pyramid in the world.
I have a question for you. Do you know who is buried in Khufu’s tomb?
By: Ace Wells
Sources Used:
Spielvogel, Jackson J. Journey Across Time. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2005.
Print.
Putnam, James. Eyewitness Pyramid. New York: DK Publishing, 2011. Print.
“Into The Great Pyramid.” National Geographic. 2002. Film.
“Pyramids.” The British Museum. n.d. Web. 16 Nov. 2011 http://www.ancientegypt.co.uk/pyramids/home.html
Hanging With Hatshepsut
Hello again! It’s your favorite female time travel journalist, Adele! I just got back from Ancient Egypt in the year of 1461 B.C.E., which was during Queen Hatshepsut’s reign. I got to spend the day with Hatshepsut.
Hatshepsut reigned from 1479 to 1457 B.C.E. She was the pharaoh, which is the king of Egypt. The only difference was that she was a woman. A lot of people (including Hatshepsut herself) called her King Hatshepsut because she played the role of a king. Even on her tomb, there was a picture of King Thutmose II and a picture of a king but on the cartouche it said Hatshepsut.
Although Hatshepsut played the brave role of king, she still was like any other person on the inside. Unlike most of the other pharaohs, she was not the general of her army and she did not like to focus on the military to strengthen her kingdom. Hatshepsut preferred to focus on treaties and trade. She wanted to have good relationships with the other kingdoms. Some people did not like how she governed; they favored her stepson, Thutmose III, and they wanted Hatshepsut out of power.
If I had lived back then, I probably would have supported Hatshepsut. She was very nice to me. She treated me like a younger sister. She told me about her family. She told me about her twenty-year-old stepson, Thutmose III (sometimes read Thutmosis). He always wanted more power, and when he was no longer Hatshepsut’s co-regent, he became even more infuriated. She told me that it was nice to have someone to talk to. It seemed as though Hatshepsut wanted to be rid of her family troubles.
I enjoyed my visit, which was right after a festival to celebrate the return of the ships she sent on a successful trading expedition to Punt (modern Somalia). I am happy to be out of the confusion though. Talk about family troubles! It was believed that Thutmose III killed Hatshepsut two years later!
Right after I returned, Ace left on another journey to meet someone. Stay tuned to find out whom he met and what he found out!
Sources Used:
Hatshepsut reigned from 1479 to 1457 B.C.E. She was the pharaoh, which is the king of Egypt. The only difference was that she was a woman. A lot of people (including Hatshepsut herself) called her King Hatshepsut because she played the role of a king. Even on her tomb, there was a picture of King Thutmose II and a picture of a king but on the cartouche it said Hatshepsut.
Although Hatshepsut played the brave role of king, she still was like any other person on the inside. Unlike most of the other pharaohs, she was not the general of her army and she did not like to focus on the military to strengthen her kingdom. Hatshepsut preferred to focus on treaties and trade. She wanted to have good relationships with the other kingdoms. Some people did not like how she governed; they favored her stepson, Thutmose III, and they wanted Hatshepsut out of power.
If I had lived back then, I probably would have supported Hatshepsut. She was very nice to me. She treated me like a younger sister. She told me about her family. She told me about her twenty-year-old stepson, Thutmose III (sometimes read Thutmosis). He always wanted more power, and when he was no longer Hatshepsut’s co-regent, he became even more infuriated. She told me that it was nice to have someone to talk to. It seemed as though Hatshepsut wanted to be rid of her family troubles.
I enjoyed my visit, which was right after a festival to celebrate the return of the ships she sent on a successful trading expedition to Punt (modern Somalia). I am happy to be out of the confusion though. Talk about family troubles! It was believed that Thutmose III killed Hatshepsut two years later!
Right after I returned, Ace left on another journey to meet someone. Stay tuned to find out whom he met and what he found out!
By Adele Wells
Sources Used:
Spielvogel, Jackson J. Journey Across Time. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2005. Print.
Bauer, Susan Wise. The Story of the World. Virginia: Peace Hill Press, 2006. Print.
McGraw, Eloise Jarvis. Mara, Daughter of the Nile. New York: Puffin Books, 1985. Print.
“Hatshepsut – The Female Pharaoh.” Great Pharaohs of Ancient Egypt. The Great Courses, 2004. DVD.
"Hatshepsut the Female Pharaoh." King Tut One. n.d. Web. 6 Dec. 2011
http://www.kingtutone.com/queens/hatshepsut/
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)