Question

Among the following statements which describe the historical importance of Hammurabi’s code?
A.It is a record of the funerary practices of the ancient Egyptians
B.It is the oldest known example of Persian mythological literature
C.It contains the most contemporary contents of the Punic wars
D.It is notable for its depiction of everyday life in ancient Israel
E.It illustrates the legal system of ancient Babylonia

Answer 1

Hint:The Code of Hammurabi is an ancient Babylonian rule that was carved onto a huge pillar which was discovered in 1901 by archaeologists. The text was written during the reign of a king named Hammurabi, a cunning and determined ruler of his time. It is one of the oldest deciphered writings of significant length in the world that was excavated in the most preserved form. The book was supposedly written in 1754 BC.

Complete answer:
The code of Hammurabi is a book that describes the crimes and punishments of the time. The book portrayed the cruel methods of punishments unleashed by King Hammurabi. It described about 282 crimes which happened at the time and their punishments of the motto "an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth". To make things worse, these crimes are categorised on the basis of social status and gender, of slave versus free, man versus woman.
Hammurabi was the ruler of Babylonia, a city in the Mesopotamian civilization from 1792 to 1750 BC. He wanted to rule the place with equality in the most effective way in order to create a good kingdom. Hence, he was keen on building a legal document which can bring a system which has an order. According to Hammurabi he described himself as "Anu and Bel called by name me, Hammurabi, the exalted prince, who feared God, to bring about the rule of righteousness in the land, to destroy the wicked and the evil-doers; so that the strong should not harm the weak; so that I should rule over the black-headed people like Shamash, and enlighten the land, to further the well-being of mankind”.

Hence, the correct answer is option (E).

Note:The text, compiled at the end of the reign of Hammurabi, is less a proclamation of principles than a sequence of legal precedents, set between prose praising the just and pious law of Hammurabi. The Code of Hammurabi presents some of the earliest examples of the "lex talionis" doctrine, or the revenge laws, also better known as an eye for an eye."