In 1792 through 1750 B.C., Babylonia emerged as a major power when Hammurabi created an empire from the territories of the former Akkadian Empire- taking on his title as the “king of the four quarters.” In about 1750 B.C., using the written Semitic Akkadian language, Hammurabi issued a code of laws, called the Code of Hammurabi. The laws were inscribed in an eight-foot tall stela of black diorite, with an illustration at the top of the stone and the written laws below. The Code provided insight …show more content…
This was most likely the first time a code of justice was made publicly available for all literate citizens to view. His laws did not accept excuses or explanations for mistakes or fault- no man could claim ignorance. The 282 laws covered a range of public and private matters, as well as the consequences to make up for such crimes. In the presence of these consequences, a definition of justice was formed. In some cases, the guilty party was to pay a monetary value for their offense, and in others, the principle of “exact retaliation” emerged. This principle laid the foundation of retributive justice, better known as “an eye for an eye and a tooth for a