More on Hammurabi's Code: A Modern View

As you may already know, Ace went to visit King Hammurabi and find out some interesting facts about Hammurabi’s Code. He told you all about how it came to be. While Ace was in ancient Babylonia, I flew to modern Paris to see Hammurabi’s Code on display at the Louvre Museum. I am going to tell you a little more about it from a modern perspective, including comparing some of the ancient codes to modern laws. I will begin by telling you about Where Hammurabi’s code was discovered and when it was brought to Paris.

Hammurabi’s Code is written in Cuneiform and Akkadian. Gustave Jéquier discovered Hammurabi’s Code in 1901 in Khuzestan, Iran (ancient Susa, Elam) on an expedition led by Jacques de Morgan. In the same year, it was transported to the Louvre Museum in Paris. It is on display in the Richelieu wing of the Louvre Museum in Paris today.

There are a lot of interesting facts about Hammurabi’s Code. Did you know that Hammurabi’s Code is shaped like an index finger? Unlike most Mesopotamian documents, which are made of clay, Hammurabi’s code was made of stone, which was to make it seem as though the laws were given to Hammurabi by the sun god, Shamash. There are 44 columns of text and 28 paragraphs. The entire code consists of 282 laws, but some Egyptologists believe that there were more that just rubbed off. There is no 13th law because back then (and still now) 13 was considered an unlucky and evil number.

Hammurabi's Code at Musée de Louvre (photo taken December 2011)

Many of the laws inscribed on Hammurabi’s Code are similar to many modern laws. One example is law number 14. Law 14 says that if anyone steals the minor son of another, he shall be put to death. That is very similar to the law in California. If you were to steal someone’s son today, it would be called kidnapping, which is a felony that carries a sentence of 5 years to life in prison. Law 22 states that if anyone is committing a robbery and is caught, then he shall be put to death. That is similar to the modern California law stating that robbery is a felony, and depending on what is stolen, and how the crime is committed, each count can carry a sentence of from 3 to 9 years in prison. But some of the laws are very different. For example, law 17 says that if anyone finds runaway male or female slaves in the open country and brings them to their master, the master of the slaves shall pay him two shekels of silver. Today, slaves are no longer legal, due to the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution passed in 1865.

Hammurabi’s Code was, and still is, a fascinating piece of history. It was the first known set of written laws ever to exist. On average, 12,000 people visit Hammurabi’s Code each day at the Louvre, which has over 8,000,000 visitors each year. The Louvre is the world’s most visited museum, with a record of 8.5 million people in 2008. One of the Louvre’s star attractions is Hammurabi’s Code, which has been standing since 1772 B.C.E. It has been in the Louvre since 1901 C.E. It was amazing to see something so important from history that is now over 3,000 years old.

What is something amazing that you have seen in a museum?

By Adele Wells

Sources Used:

U.S. Constitution, Amendment 13.

California Penal Code, Section 211-215.

California Penal Code, Section 207-210.

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.

“The Code of Hammurabi.” The Avalon Project: Yale Law School. n.d. Web. 23 Feb. 2012 http://avalon.law.yale.edu/ancient/hamframe.asp

“History of the Louvre.” Musée de Louvre. n.d. Web. 23 Feb. 2012

http://www.louvre.fr/en/history-louvre

“Hammurabi’s Code.” Oracle ThinkQuest Education Foundation Library. n.d. Web. 23 Feb. 2012 http://library.thinkquest.org/20176/hammurabis_code.htm

“The Code of Hammurabi.” The Web Chronology Project. n.d. Web. 23 Feb. 2012

http://www.thenagain.info/webchron/middleeast/hammurabicode.html

Hanging With Hammurabi

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.

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

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!

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/

Hanging Out in the Hanging Gardens

I got the chance to travel back in time to 590 B.C. and meet Queen Amytis. I talked to her about the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon had married Amytis to create an alliance with Persia (modern Iraq). Amytis had been reluctant to marry a stranger, but her father, the king of Persia, convinced her to help keep her country safe from invasion. The gardens were a gift to her from her new husband. I asked her if I could see them. I told her that sometime in the future archeologists might want to find them. She did not like the idea of her gardens being excavated. So that I would not know the location of her special garden, she insisted that I was blindfolded on our journey. Unfortunately, I cannot tell you where to look, but I can tell you what the gardens looked like. I recreated them as best as I could with LEGOs. Although we have no present-day tangible evidence of their existence, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon existed in ancient times.

The queen told me that when she first arrived in Babylon she was feeling extremely homesick. She longed to go back to her home in the mountains of Persia. King Nebuchadnezzar wanted her to feel better so he decided to build her a mountain with lush gardens in the flat land of Babylon. He declared that thousands of workers would help him haul slabs of rock from far away. When his workers were finished getting rocks, they realized that they didn’t have enough to build the whole mountain. The king had his workers mix clay with dried straw to make bricks for walls on the inside. The bricks were coated in lead to be waterproof so that the plants would hold water better. After the building was laid out, the king had plants put in. He ordered that each story have all kinds of vegetation to beautify the queen’s viewing experience.

Queen Amytis was so happy that the king had built her a terraced garden wonderland, she declared it the most exquisite place in the world. She was amazed at how each level hung down on to the next one. That is how the gardens got their name, The Hanging Gardens of Babylon. Every morning she would come out of the palace and look at the view of her beautiful mountain from her palace balcony. The gardens brought a little bit of Persia to the queen, and quelled her homesickness. The king went to a lot of trouble to make sure of that.

The queen told me a lot about the vast size of the gardens, and from what I could see at the time, I think she was correct. It has been reported that the gardens were over 320 feet tall, and they did look about as high as a football field to me. (Some historians think they were as high as four football fields.) The gardens were also quite wide. “They were wide enough for two four horse carriages too pass each other,” wrote a Greek historian named Herodotus from 450 BCE. I was amazed at how lush the plants appeared. Queen Amytis explained how her plants were watered, and that her husband came up with the watering system. The water was carried from the Euphrates River to the top of the gardens using a chain pump. The gardens were truly a work of inspiration and genius.

Although no visible remains exist today, there is poetry and other written accounts of the gardens from that time period. Additionally, some archaeologists have found sites that could have been where the gardens had been located. I learned from Queen Amytis that the Hanging Gardens of Babylon really did exist, and that they were a very special gift to her. It seems to me that the king’s gift to her served its purpose, and was so great that we are still fascinated today. In fact, not only were the Hanging Gardens of Babylon pleasing to Queen Amytis, they were so amazing as to be named one of the Seven Ancient Wonders of the Ancient World.

By: Adele Wells

Sources used:

"Mesopotamia." The British Museum. n.d. Web. 16 Oct. 2011

http://www.mesopotamia.co.uk/

"Hanging Gardens of Babylon." The Museum of Unnatural Mystery. n.d. Web. 16 Oct. 2011

http://www.unmuseum.org/hangg.htm

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.

(Chain pump picture courtesy of Google Images.)

Who's Your Mummy?

About a week ago, Halloween got me thinking about mummies. I thought about time traveling to South America to 5000 B.C. to see the Chinchorro mummies, but because I am studying Ancient Egypt I decided to go back in time to 2625 B.C. when the mummies were being made there. I was most interested in finding out about how the mummies were embalmed. The embalmers let me watch the embalming process. And I have got to say I was grossed out!

First the embalmers would carefully cut a small slit and remove the stomach, liver, intestines, and lungs through it, setting each one aside. After removing these organs, the Egyptians left the heart in the body because they believed that it was the center of life. The other organs were washed in natron (a salt-like substance), coated with resin, wrapped in linen strips, and stored in decorative pottery called Canopic Jars. The jars were supposed to protect the organs for the journey to the afterlife. A long hook was used to smash the brain and pull it out through the nose. This part was the grossest part. Next I saw them cover the whole body in natron, which was to be left to dry out for forty days. I obviously did not stay there for that long so they told me what would happen later. After it dried out, they would cover the body in oils and spices. Then the body would be ready to be wrapped in linen, which how we think mummies are supposed to look.

Although I time traveled to see an intentional mummy, I have also learned about mummies that are created in natural conditions. Mummies have been found in ice in places like the Italian Alps and Greenland. Even in Egypt natural mummies have been found buried in sand. Natural elements such as sand and ice will preserve bodies by drying or freezing them. I highly recommend watching National Geographic’s Secrets of the Pharaohs (available on Netflix).  You can watch a scientist recreate the ancient mummification process.

Do you have any questions about mummies that you would like to ask?

My Homemade Mummy

By: Ace Wells

Sources used:

"Mummification." British Museum. n.d. Web. 5 Nov. 2011
http://www.ancientegypt.co.uk/mummies/home.html

"Mummification." BrainPOP. n.d Web. 25 Oct. 2011
http://www.brainpop.com/socialstudies/worldhistory/mummies

Ancient Egyptian Kohl: Magic, Makeup or Both?

I was very interested to find out about the eyeliner that the ancient Egyptians seemed so fond of wearing. They even decorated their sarcophagi and often put a container of eyeliner in tombs. I think that it was so that they would look good in the afterlife. I time traveled back to the New Kingdom in Ancient Egypt and got a line on eyeliner. No pun intended. ;)

Kohl, or khol, is the name of the eyeliner that the ancient Egyptians, men and women, used on their eyes. Kohl is the main makeup item that was used by the ancient Egyptian kings and pharaohs because it showed high status. The products in kohl are galena and soot. The galena was acquired from lead sulfite and it is a blue-grey natural mineral. The soot was what gave kohl its black look. Soot is from burned materials such as carbon. Kohl was kept in jars called kohl pots and it was painted on with a paintbrush. The higher your status, the more kohl you wore.

While I was time traveling, I learned that the ancient gods Horus and Ra believed that eyeliner was a magical material that protected the person who wore it from illness.  When I got back to present time, I found out that when scientists recently studied bottles of kohl preserved in the Louvre in Paris, they found that the chemical elements created by the ancient Egyptians actually prevented eye infections. 

Even now, people still use kohl, except we call it eyeliner. Some makeup companies, like Lancôme, still put the word kohl (sometimes spelled khol) on their eyeliner. I have a question for you. Who do you think wears kohl better? Lady Gaga or Tutankhamen?

By: Adele Wells

Sources Used:

"Egyptian Make Up." King Tut. n.d. Web. 29 Oct. 2011

http://www.king-tut.org.uk/ancient-egyptians/egyptian-make-up.htm

Iles, Judith. "Ancient Egyptian Eye Makeup." Tour Egypt. n.d. 29 Oct. 2011

http://www.touregypt.net/egypt-info/magazine-mag09012000-mag4.htm

"Ancient Egyptian Cosmetics: 'Magical' Makeup May Have Been Medicine for Eye Disease." Science Daily. 11 Jan. 2010. Web. 29 Oct. 2011

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100111112845.htm

(Photographs courtesy of Google Images.)