Early Western Civilization: Molded by Conflict or Consensus

* Hammurabi produced the law codes called “Code of Hammurabi” in order to acquire order and welfare. As Hammurabi state in his prologue, “Right and Justice I established in the land, for the good of the people.” (prologue, Hammurabi’s Code)

Mesopotamia was a decentralized civilization, and resulted with many rulers leading the many city-states within the empire. Due to the many wars occurring within, kings were originally war leaders, and the function of defense and war, including leadership of a trained army, remained vital. Due to being many rulers within the empire, there were many internal conflicts, let alone the outside ones, which resulted in Mesopotamia further advanced its empire by developing ideas for a bureaucracy and laws, by using Hammurabi’s code. It laid down the procedure for law courts and regulated property rights and duties of family members, setting harsh punishments for crimes. This focus on standardizing a legal system was one of the features of early civilization. Also, the political structure there was enforced by none other than the Sumerians, which can be seen in many similar ideas and traits passed on today’s modern

King Hammurabi was a ruler of the Old Babylonian or Amorite dynasty from 1792 to 1750 B.C. His goal was to make Babylon the center for the Mesopotamian Culture and centralize it. In order for King Hammurabi to unify his Mesopotamian kingdom, which was his principle achievement, he took control of the Euphrates River. Early in the twentieth century, he decides that there are significant laws that he didn’t think about himself; nonetheless, everyone has to follow by. Hammurabi thought of carving stone stele and placing it in the center of the city and so that people will have to obey them. This was known as the Cold of Hammurabi. This code was the first law code in Western history. It consisted of severe punishments for criminal offenses, which sets the idea of an “eye for an eye.” The importance of the Hammurabi’s code was the writing and literacy among the elite of Babylonian society and their well-developed philosophies of law and justice. The Code of Hammurabi was unfair to women, accused, and most people in

The Fertile Crescent stretches like a crescent moon from the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf, containing Egypt and Mesopotamia. The terms mentioned throughout the essay are different empires and locations. Sumer was the first civilization and is located in the narrowing plain between the lower reaches of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. About 5,000 years ago, Sumerians developed writing, construction of cities, and domestication of animals. The Akkadians took over Sumer around 2350 BCE when Sargon I. became leader and began seizing territories as reward for winning a war. Ancient egypt, laid southwest of the Fertile Crescent alongside the Nile River in Africa. People have lived there since around 5000 BCE and began

Four thousand years ago, in the state of Babylonia, ruled a king named Hammurabi, Hammurabi made a set of two hundred eighty two laws name Hammurabi’s code, to protect the weak, but were they really just? Through my prospective these laws were not fair because they did not try to help the family solve its problems, instead it acted based on what happened, Hammurabi’s code destroyed/ruined personal property, and it encouraged personal injury.

In 1750 B.C. a new king of babylonia arose by the name of Hammurabi. He continued his reign up until 1792 B.C. but most importantly his reign did not go unforgotten. During his reign he was in charge of giving punishments to the wrongdoings of his citizens. As he conquered other cities and his empire grew he saw the need to unify groups he controlled, he was concerned about keeping order in his kingdom. In order to achieve this goal, he needed one universal set of laws for all the people he conquered thus he created the Hammurabi code.

The Law Code of Hammurabi was created by the ruler of Babylon, King Hammurabi, around the 18th century BCE (Law Code of Hammurabi, 30). It was written in the cuneiform script of the Akkadian language, which was the universal language of diplomacy at the time (Lecture 2 & 5). The efficiency of cuneiform and the growing use of the international Akkadian language led to the rapid spread of literacy which subsequently led to heightened government regulation (Lecture 5). The law code emerged in the midst of the growing importance of codified laws to maintain structure and regulate order in society. It disclosed the manifold inequalities functioning in Babylonian society at the time. However,

Western Civilization, as it is known today, is a coalescence of various cultures, ideologies, and practices that have been preserved over centuries of human life. Although a countless number of societies have influenced Western Civilization, Hebrew-Christian civilizations and Greco-Roman civilizations have been the two most influential. Both of these civilizations and their traditions have left equally deep and long-lasting marks on Western Civilization that are still seen in today’s society. While Hebrew-Christian religious traditions are at the core foundation of the largest religions of the western world, Greco-Roman political and social traditions are, on the other hand, seen in the fundamentals of Western societal systems and ideologies. In addition, both Hebrew-Christian traditions and Greco-Roman traditions are prominent in western political and governmental structures. Without the influence of Hebrew-Christian or Greco-Roman traditions, Western Civilization would not be what it is today.

The “Code of Hammurabi” is considered to be one of the most valuable finds of human existence. In fact its very existence created the basis for the justice system we have come to rely on today. The creation of “the Code” was a tremendous achievement for not only Babylonian society but for the entire Mesopotamian region as King Hammurabi was ruler over all of that area. Its conception can be considered to be the first culmination of the laws of different regions into a single, logical text. Hammurabi wanted to be an efficient ruler and realized that this could be achieved through the use of a common set of laws which applied to all territories and all citizens who fell under his rule. This paper will discuss the Hammurabi Code and the

The Clash of Civilizations arises from the idea that culture is paramount; thus, if conflicted it cannot be as easily resolved as conflicts within terms of ideology or economy. The main differences between civilizations are portrayed through history, language, culture, tradition and religion; all which have formed over thousands of years and represent each civilization uniquely. As the world continuously evolves, it becomes easier for civilizations to interact

“Written law represented a landmark advance in the development of human rights in that it protected the individual from the capricious decisions of monarchs”(27). Hammurabi’s code composed of 282 clauses unified Babylon and its city-states creating a more civilized society protecting the rights of those in the upper-class to women and even slaves in some situations.

A life for a life. King Hammurabi became the ruler of Babylon in 1792. Hammurabi had created 292 laws. He had a total of 3,500 lines of writing, covering both sides of the steele. I am going to be discussing, Is hammurabi's code just? Before we answer the question I will tell you what “just” means. Just simply means “fair”. I believe that hammurabi’s code was just. In this essay, I will be discussing hammurabi’s code being just. I will be giving reasons for hammurabi’s code being just.

The past centuries saw a clear distinction between the Western civilization and the non-western culture. The western civilization composed of Greece, Romans, Byzantine Empire, and the European while the non-western civilizations included East Asia, Egypt, Persian Empire, Sassanid Empire, African Societies and Kingdoms, Incas, Mayans, Aztecs, and Mongols. For a long period, the western civilizations prevailed around the world. They influenced, lead and controlled others in various sectors such as medicine, clothing, business orientations, religion, and government. In this paper, I will be affirming my conviction that the western civilizations had unique attributes that made them more powerful than the non-western civilizations. I will also show how the western cultures were influenced by the spread of Christianity, and how the western cultures have maintained their great influence and power over the other societies even in the modern era.

Throughout the history of many civilizations, certain characteristics have presented themselves and many of which have been recognized as a commonality in several societies. These frequently seen patterns in history provide important insights to the functions and behaviors of ancient civilizations. There are many commonalities that are existent in many civilizations, but three clearly emerge, as they are fundamental to many societies’ cultures. The common themes of environmental effects on religion, combination of organized religion and culture and the formation of an organized language have all proven to be present throughout all stages of history and each all seem to play a major rule in a civilization’s ability to grow, thrive, expand and even just sustain itself. This common need for expansion, survival and growth present what appear to be history’s “Universal Laws of Humanics”.

Early civilization consisted of core values that defined the communities that resided within it. These communities were driven by numerous factors in which would decide the overall outcome of the civilization. Geography, social and economic values, and they’re culture all played an important role in the makeup of these civilizations.