Access over 20 million homework & study documents

Code Of Hammurabi And Cyrus Cylinder

Content type
User Generated
Subject
History
School
Santa Monica College
Type
Homework
Rating
Showing Page:
1/4
Course Title
Student Name
Institution `Affiliation
Date

Sign up to view the full document!

lock_open Sign Up
Showing Page:
2/4
1
Code of Hammurabi and Cyrus Cylinder
The Code of Hammurabi was among the first comprehensive legal codes that were written
during the ancient times. Named after Hammurabi, the king of Babylon who ruled from 1792 to
1750 B.C., the Code of Hammurabi was a document containing 282 laws, which were standards
of interactions that were established within Babylon and set punishments and fines intended to
ensure that every individual operates within the required confines of justice. Written in the if-then
form (laws of retribution), the 282 edicts entailed professional contracts, family law and
administrative laws that were intended to govern the three major classes in Babylon the freed
men, slaves and those who own property. The Code of Hammurabi was compiled towards the end
of Hammurabi’s reign, acting as a celebration of the just rule of Hammurabi, as well as serving
the historical significance of acting as a revolutionary lawgiver which functioned "to prevent the
strong from oppressing the weak and to see that justice is done to widows and orphans ("Code of
Hammurabi," 2009).
The Cyrus Cylinder was created in 539 BCE as per the orders of Cyrus the Great after he
ende3d the Neo-Babylonian empire which was ruled by Nabonidus. It was a document that was
considered pure propaganda, praising Cyrus and condemning Nabonidus as a bad king. The main
purpose of the Cyrus Cylinder was, therefore, to promote Cyrus as a great ruler and condemn his
predecessor, based on the perspective that Cyrus freed the Babylonians from the confines of
Nabonidus' unjust rule which had forbidden the cult of Marduk and also tied Babylonians to a
lifetime of servitude. Using the perspective of the Bible in its historicity, the Cyrus Cylinder
claimed that the gods had sent Cyrus as the world's ruler, making Marduk an equivalent to Yahve
and Cyrus as Yahve's object. This document marked the beginning of Cyrus' reign in Babylon and
was aimed at stamping his status as the world's beloved ruler ("Cyrus Cylinder," 2012).

Sign up to view the full document!

lock_open Sign Up
Showing Page:
3/4

Sign up to view the full document!

lock_open Sign Up
End of Preview - Want to read all 4 pages?
Access Now
Unformatted Attachment Preview
Course Title Student Name Institution `Affiliation Date 1 Code of Hammurabi and Cyrus Cylinder The Code of Hammurabi was among the first comprehensive legal codes that were written during the ancient times. Named after Hammurabi, the king of Babylon who ruled from 1792 to 1750 B.C., the Code of Hammurabi was a document containing 282 laws, which were standards of interactions that were established within Babylon and set punishments and fines intended to ensure that every individual operates within the required confines of justice. Written in the if-then form (laws of retribution), the 282 edicts entailed professional contracts, family law and administrative laws that were intended to govern the three major classes in Babylon – the freed men, slaves and those who own property. The Code of Hammurabi was compiled towards the end of Hammurabi’s reign, acting as a celebration of the just rule of Hammurabi, as well as serving the historical significance of acting as a revolutionary lawgiver which functioned "to prevent the strong from oppressing the weak and to see that justice is done to widows and orphans” ("Code of Hammurabi," 2009). The Cyrus Cylinder was created in 539 BCE a ...
Purchase document to see full attachment
User generated content is uploaded by users for the purposes of learning and should be used following Studypool's honor code & terms of service.

Anonymous
Excellent! Definitely coming back for more study materials.

Studypool
4.7
Trustpilot
4.5
Sitejabber
4.4