The transition from pictographs and hieroglyphics to cuneiform, and its possibilities for the spread of bureaucracy and literacy, is something that is not immediately obvious to students. I begin by showing a picture of Hammurabi receiving his authority from the Babylonian deities, taken from monument copies of the Code.
I find this to be a useful exercise because it provides a visual representation of the Mesopotamian belief that government officials received their authority from the gods. This is an important concept for students to recognize because it lends tremendous credibility for Hammurabi in his ability to enforce the laws he presents in his Code. Also, I conduct a discussion with students about the meaning of governments writing down laws for public consumption.
This usually provokes them to think about the responsibilities of the public and their need to know the laws once they are written down, as well as the enforcement privileges that codification gives to those maintaining law and order. At last, the time comes to talk about the source itself. Sitting with students in a circle, I lead a discussion of the Code, with a particular focus on selections illustrating the varied punishments for crimes according to class and gender.
But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! Twice a week we compile our most fascinating features and deliver them straight to you. Live TV. This Day In History. History Vault. The Code included many bizarre and gruesome forms of punishment. The laws varied according to social class and gender. Recommended for you. How the Troubles Began in Northern Ireland. The U. Supreme Court building features Hammurabi on the marble carvings of historic lawgivers that lines the south wall of the courtroom.
But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! Subscribe for fascinating stories connecting the past to the present. Black codes were restrictive laws designed to limit the freedom of African Americans and ensure their availability as a cheap labor force after slavery was abolished during the Civil War. Though the Union victory had given some 4 million enslaved people their freedom, the The amazing works of art and architecture known as the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World serve as a testament to the ingenuity, imagination and sheer hard work of which human beings are capable.
They are also, however, reminders of the human capacity for disagreement, Developed in the s and s by Samuel Morse and other inventors, the telegraph revolutionized long-distance communication. It worked by transmitting electrical signals over a wire laid between stations.
In addition to helping invent the telegraph, Samuel Morse The Persian Empire is the name given to a series of dynasties centered in modern-day Iran that spanned several centuries—from the sixth century B. The Code of Hammurabi is often cited as the oldest written laws on record, but they were predated by at least two other ancient codes of conduct from the Middle East. The earliest, created by the Sumerian ruler Ur-Nammu of the city of Its history is marked by many important inventions that changed the world, including the concept How will it end?
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