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They don't legislate like they used to anymore...

Interested in legal history? Then you won't want to miss this web page, which provides a glimpse at how justice was meted out about thirty centuries ago. The World Wide Legal Information Association has transcribed and published the translations from Hammurabi's code of Laws, a stone tablet dating from 1780 B.C. which was discovered in Paris in 1901. Although lamentably little is said about the cultural origins of this artifact, it still makes for some very interesting reading. "An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth" was quite literally the order of the day, however there are certain nuances to be found in these laws. For instance, if someone was robbed and the thief escaped, the community would compensate for the stolen property--doesn't strike me as particularly uncivilized...

Thu, 16 Mar 2000 07:43:51 -0800