Code of Hammurabi

During history, major civilizations have endured through a system of social, political, religious, and economic laws and traditions. Most of these laws and traditions were set up as guidelines for moral behavior, family life, education, government, and business. These basic principles were set forth by an early civilization known as the Babylonians. There are many aspects of modern day society which have their basis in the laws and teachings of Hammurabi. Hammurabi ruled Babylon from …

…percent on loans of grain or silver. Many basic principles of society's laws are based on Hammurabi's Code. Hammurabi established that "the injured should receive compensation and that harsh punishments should be used as a deterrent to crime." The Code was written in cuneiform scriptures that were discovered in 1902 in Paris where historians realized that an entire set of laws that were both harsh and cruel still had the power to control a whole society.