Throughout history the law and social justice was often approached in differing ways from one society to another. The presence of law was based on several different factors. Religion, morals, rituals, and multiple other elements influenced the affect law and social justice would play in a civilization. The roles of individuals in their society, the influence of religion and social hierarchy can affect the enforcement of social justice and the basis of a society’s laws. Mesopotamia, Ancient Egypt, and Ancient India all had similarities and differences in their attitudes towards law and social justice. Mesopotamia, meaning the “land between the rivers”, was one of the earliest civilizations in the world. It was located between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, an area also referred to as the Fertile Crescent. Mesopotamia was by definition a social hierarchy. There were state and religious elites. A fundamental element of Mesopotamian society was its spiritual worldview (Duiker). In other words, the gods affected all aspects of life. Religion held the utmost importance in the civilization. One of the most notable empires of Mesopotamia was Hammurabi’s Empire.
…show more content…
From this empire we get the best inference on the laws and social justice of Mesopotamia. Under Hammurabi, a body of laws known as the code of Hammurabi ran the society. These laws are viewed as some of the strictest regulations ever to be created. From this code comes the saying “an eye for an eye.” This analogy however does not depict the stipulations of the code of Hammurabi all that well. Several other factors played a role in the enforcement of these laws. Punishment was simply based on social class. If an individual of a lower end social class were to commit a crime against a society elite, their punishment would be way more severe than if the situation was vice versa (Nathan). A large section of the code focused on family and marriage. From this section we see the influence of gender on laws and social justice. Men were held to a higher esteem than women. For example, in Mesopotamian society, men were allowed sexual relations outside of their marriage and women were not (King). Social class and gender played major roles in establishing what constitutes justice. Another river valley civilization was that of Ancient Egypt. “the gift of the Nile.” Just as in Mesopotamia, religion provided security and held much importance in society. The civilization was ran by divine kingship. They had a strong belief in natural forces and a polytheistic religion. An example is that the ruler of Ancient Egypt was known as a pharaoh. A pharaoh was viewed as a god on Earth (Nathan). The value placed on religion was extremely similar as to that in Mesopotamia. Ancient Egypt was a simple hierarchal society as well. The importance of wealth played a major role in the legal system, just as in Mesopotamia. Peasants were treated very harshly by those higher in social class. This is evident in The Tale of the Eloquent Peasant. A peasant by the name of Hunanup, is tricked into causing damage to the noble Rensi’s land. Although there were no witnesses besides the overseer who tricked Hunanup into causing the damage, Rensi brought the case to the pharaoh. The peasant pleaded for justice, but was completely ignored. When Hunanup stood up for himself, he was punished with a beating. (The Tale of the Eloquent Peasant). The peasant’s word was given barely any notice and he was punished for even suggesting he be shown justice. This really portrays how heavily social class played in the justice system. One factor that differed from the social make-up of Mesopotamia was that in Ancient Egypt, women held a well-respected role. Wives were able to be in charge of the household and the education of their children (Nathan). The inheritance and property of women was allowed to remain in their possession even when married. Peasant women were put to work just as men. They spent long hours in the field and were expected to fulfill many tasks (Duiker). Those women of the upper class were able to fill priestess positions, four queens, in their own right even became pharaohs. The woman’s role was appreciated. Ancient China resembles Mesopotamia and Ancient Egypt in many
From this empire we get the best inference on the laws and social justice of Mesopotamia. Under Hammurabi, a body of laws known as the code of Hammurabi ran the society. These laws are viewed as some of the strictest regulations ever to be created. From this code comes the saying “an eye for an eye.” This analogy however does not depict the stipulations of the code of Hammurabi all that well. Several other factors played a role in the enforcement of these laws. Punishment was simply based on social class. If an individual of a lower end social class were to commit a crime against a society elite, their punishment would be way more severe than if the situation was vice versa (Nathan). A large section of the code focused on family and marriage. From this section we see the influence of gender on laws and social justice. Men were held to a higher esteem than women. For example, in Mesopotamian society, men were allowed sexual relations outside of their marriage and women were not (King). Social class and gender played major roles in establishing what constitutes justice. Another river valley civilization was that of Ancient Egypt. “the gift of the Nile.” Just as in Mesopotamia, religion provided security and held much importance in society. The civilization was ran by divine kingship. They had a strong belief in natural forces and a polytheistic religion. An example is that the ruler of Ancient Egypt was known as a pharaoh. A pharaoh was viewed as a god on Earth (Nathan). The value placed on religion was extremely similar as to that in Mesopotamia. Ancient Egypt was a simple hierarchal society as well. The importance of wealth played a major role in the legal system, just as in Mesopotamia. Peasants were treated very harshly by those higher in social class. This is evident in The Tale of the Eloquent Peasant. A peasant by the name of Hunanup, is tricked into causing damage to the noble Rensi’s land. Although there were no witnesses besides the overseer who tricked Hunanup into causing the damage, Rensi brought the case to the pharaoh. The peasant pleaded for justice, but was completely ignored. When Hunanup stood up for himself, he was punished with a beating. (The Tale of the Eloquent Peasant). The peasant’s word was given barely any notice and he was punished for even suggesting he be shown justice. This really portrays how heavily social class played in the justice system. One factor that differed from the social make-up of Mesopotamia was that in Ancient Egypt, women held a well-respected role. Wives were able to be in charge of the household and the education of their children (Nathan). The inheritance and property of women was allowed to remain in their possession even when married. Peasant women were put to work just as men. They spent long hours in the field and were expected to fulfill many tasks (Duiker). Those women of the upper class were able to fill priestess positions, four queens, in their own right even became pharaohs. The woman’s role was appreciated. Ancient China resembles Mesopotamia and Ancient Egypt in many