Chapter Three: Ancient Mesopotamia

The Ethics Workbook I:

World History Chapter Three

Ancient Mesopotamia

When you studied about ancient Mesopotamia you learned that the land between the rivers Tigris and Euphrates was the home of many civilizations. Among the most important of these was ancient Babylonia. Its capital, Babylon, was at one time considered to be the richest, most beautiful, and advanced city in the world. Hammurabi was king of Babylon, and he is famous for issuing the first written code of laws. Hammurabi had his laws chiseled into a flat stone monument so that everyone would know exactly what the rules of Babylon were. We are going to study some of Hammurabi’s laws, and carefully compare them to both the Egyptian Book of the Dead and to the Old Testament. But first we need to review the discussion we had about the difference between western and eastern ideas about how people relate to nature. Take a few minutes to look back at the first part of Chapter Two and see if you can finish the following sentences: 

1. Ancient Egyptian ideas are basic to eastern philosophy because

They stress the importance of finding a balanced existence with nature. 

2. Hebrew ideas are basic to western philosophy because

 They stress the idea that man should control nature and that nature exists only for man’s benefit. 

Now read some lines from Hammurabi’s Code and write a paragraph telling if Hammurabi’s Code is more western or eastern in its philosophy. Treat this like a test to see if you really understand. If any one be too lazy to keep his dam in proper condition, and the dam breaks and all the fields  are flooded, then shall he in whose dam the break occurred be sold for money, and the money shall replace the corn which he has caused to be ruined. If he can’t replace the corn, then he and his possessions will be divided among the farmers whose corn he has flooded. If any one opens his ditches to water his crop, but is careless, and the water floods the field of his neighbor, then he will pay his neighbor corn for his loss. If a man lets in the water, and the water overflows the plantation of his neighbor, he must pay ten gur of corn for every ten gan of land.

Hammurabi’s Code 53-56 simplified 

This shows western thinking since man is expected to control nature and make it beneficial

Now let’s do some more comparisons. Read the following rules from Hammurabi’s Code and compare them to the Old Testament. If a man puts out the eye of another man, his eye will be put out. If he breaks another man’s bone, his bone will be broken. If he puts out the eye of a freed man, or breaks the bone of a freed man, he must pay one gold mina. If he puts out the eye of a man’s slave, or breaks the bone of a man’s slave, he will pay one-half of its value. If a man knocks out the teeth of his equal, his teeth will be knocked out. If he knocks out the teeth of a freed man, he will pay one-third of a gold mina. 

Hammurabi’s Code 196-201 simplified

 This introduces students to the idea of relativity in ethical standards since the law does not apply evenly to everyone 

We call what’s happening in Hammurabi’s Code a relative ethical standard because circumstances change the outcome. We have already begun to talk about this, and you have developed some views on it. We are going to talk about it some more. What kinds of circumstances are changing the outcome here in Hammurabi’s Code? Does this seem right or wrong to you? 

Students will naturally expect circumstances to cause the relative standard, but here it is a different standard for different people. It’s who you are that counts. Hammurabi’s Code is very different in the way it applies the rules. Compare the following lines from Hammurabi’s Code with similar lines from the Old Testament. Look back at Chapter Two and compare them carefully. What’s the difference? If after a judge tries a case, and presents his judgment in writing, an error appears in his decision, and it be through his own fault. Then he shall pay twelve times the fine set by him in the case; and he will be publicly removed from the judge’s bench, and never again will he sit there to render judgment. 

There is accountability on the part of the authorities. The beginnings of the concept of fundamental fairness is present. Remember the importance of the family relationship in the Old Testament and the son who disobeyed his parents? Here is a similar case from Hammurabi’s Code. Compare the two. If a man wants to put his son out of his house, and declares before the judge “I want to put my son out,” then the judge will examine into his reasons. If the son is guilty of no great fault, for which he can rightfully be put out, the father will not put him out. If he is guilty of a grave fault, the father must forgive him the first time; but if he is guilty of a grave fault a second time the father may put him out. 

Reciprocal obligations and fundamental fairness are basic; power alone is not enough. 

This is a whole new idea in ethics. See if you can figure out what it is. 

Finish the following sentence with one word. 

The rules must be fair 

See how this principle shows up again and again in Hammurabi’s Code: If a man is captured, and he has the means to buy his freedom, he will buy himself free; if he has nothing in his house with which to buy himself free, he will be bought free by the temple of his community, if there is nothing in the temple with which to buy him free, the court will buy his freedom. His field, garden and house will not be given for the purchase of his freedom. 

Hammurabi’s Code 32 simplified If anyone takes over a field to till it, and obtains no harvest from it, it must be proved that he did no work on the field before he must deliver to the owner of the field. 

Hammurabi’s Code 42 simplified If anyone owes a debt for a loan, and a storm destroys the grain, or the harvest fail, or the grain does not grow for lack of water he pays no rent for this year. 

Hammurabi’s Code 48 simplified If a man marries a wife, and she be seized by disease, if he then wants to marry a second wife, he cannot put away his first wife, who has been attacked by disease. He must keep her in the house that he has built and support her so long as she lives. 

Ethics Workbook I ©Anthony Tiatorio 1999