Download Hammurabi and the Babylonian Empire

Name:
Hammurabi and the Babylonian Empire - TeachTCI
Hammurabi and the Babylonian Empire
For a while after the fall of the Akkadians, Sumer was
Day/Period:
as stealing or causing injury. For example, if a poorly
assembled house were to collapse and kill its owner, then
once again a group of city-states. The next ruler to unite all
the builder could be put to death. However, if the owner's
of Mesopotamia was a king named Hammurabi (hah-muh-
son rather than the owner were killed in the collapse, the
RAH-bee).
builder's son could be sentenced to death.
Hammurabi ruled Babylon (BAH-buh-luhn), a small city-
Laws like this one seem harsh to us now, but
state in central Mesopotamia. After conquering the rest of
Hammurabi's code was a notable achievement. Although
Mesopotamia, he named Babylon the capital of his empire,
the laws and punishments did not treat all people equally,
so the region became known as the Babylonian Empire, or
the code did apply to everyone living in the empire.
Babylonia.
Hammurabi is best known for his code of laws [code of
laws: a collection of written laws and rules], which he wrote
during his reign from 1792 to 1750 B.C.E. He used the code
of laws to unify [unify: to join together] his empire and to
preserve order, basing the laws not merely on his own
authority, but on the word of the gods. He declared the
Babylonian god, Marduk (MAHR-dook), supreme over other
gods. Hammurabi claimed that the gods had instructed him
to create laws that applied to the entire empire. Since the
laws were based on the gods' will, they could never be
changed. The code of laws was written on a stele and put
on public display [display: to show something in a place
where people can see it] in a temple.
Hammurabi's code was detailed, covering many
situations, such as trade, payment for work, marriage, and
divorce. The code spelled out punishments for crimes, such
1In the stele, draw and label pictures to illustrate the political achievements of the
Babylonian Empire.
Name:
Hammurabi and the Babylonian Empire - TeachTCI
Day/Period:
1. Who was the next king to unite Mesopotamia after the fall
of the Akkadian Empire, and where was his capital city?
2. Which of the following statements is FALSE about
Hammurabi's code of laws?
A.Hammurabi claimed the laws were the words of gods.
B.The code was the first set of laws to apply to all citizens.
C.The codes were displayed publically on a massive stele.
D.The laws could be changed every hundred years.
E.Marduk was declared supreme over other gods in the
text.
3. Complete these sentences about the stele you drew on the
prior page:
This stele represents the Babylonian political achievement
of . . .
This achievement was important because . . .