The Code Of Hammurabi is a huge list of laws and the offenses for violating such laws. Most of the laws were punishable
by death. There's approximately 232 laws listed, although there is no 13 because it was considered an unlucky number. I will
link the complete Code of Hammurabi below, but first I figured I would list some of the laws that mirror ours today.
For starters, let's define the following: A felony in the state of Mass. is defined as any crime punishable by over 2
1/2 years in a State Penitentiary or death and a misdemeanor is any crime punishable by 2 1/2 years or below in a House Of
Corrections. Now to the laws according to Hammurabi and Mass:
3. If any one bring an accusation of any crime before the elders, and does not prove what he has charged, he shall,
if it be a capital offense charged, be put to death. This is like filing a false police report, which is perjury. Perjury
is a felony in the state of Massachusetts.
6. If any one steal the property of a temple or of the court, he shall be put to death, and also the one who receives
the stolen thing from him shall be put to death. This is our modern day larceny charges, as well, as our modern day receiving
stolen property laws. Depending upon the value of the property and the nature of the crime, this can either be a felony or
misdemeanor.
16. If any one receive into his house a runaway male or female slave of the court, or of a freedman, and does
not bring it out at the public proclamation of the major domus, the master of the house shall be put to death. This is our
modern day aiding and abetting a known fugitive law.
21. If any one break a hole into a house [break in to steal], he shall be put to death before that hole and be
buried. This is our modern day breaking and entering. This is a felony and is further broken down to individual charges based
on the elements of the crime, i.e. B&E in the nightime/daytime, B&E in a building, ship, vessel, etc., Armed Home
Invasion, etc, etc...
25. If fire break out in a house, and some one who comes to put it out cast his eye upon the property of the owner
of the house, and take the property of the master of the house, he shall be thrown into that self-same fire. This is known
as Larceny from a building on fire or after alarm of fire or Larceny or Embezzlement of Property from fire. The first
is a felony and the second is a misdemeanor or felony depending upon amount. If an individual saves property from a fire
they have 7 days to give it back or they can be guilty of the second offense.
We can also see that materials such as grains were equal to money. For example:
113. If any one have consignment of corn or money, and he take from the granary or box without the knowledge of
the owner, then shall he who took corn without the knowledge of the owner out of the granary or money out of the box be legally
convicted, and repay the corn he has taken. And he shall lose whatever commission was paid to him, or due him.
111. If an inn-keeper furnish sixty ka of usakani-drink to . . . she shall receive fifty ka of corn at the harvest.
These are just a few of the laws back then that mirror our system today. The Code lists a lot of contractual laws too.
