Code of Hammurabi Practice Questions

Correct answer: A Babylonian king

Hammurabi was a king of Babylon who ruled in the 18th century BCE. He is best known for issuing one of the earliest and most complete written legal codes.

Correct answer: To standardize laws across the empire

The Code of Hammurabi aimed to unify and standardize laws throughout the Babylonian Empire. This helped ensure consistent justice and royal authority.

Correct answer: Babylonian

The Code of Hammurabi was created in ancient Babylon under King Hammurabi's reign in the 18th century BCE. Babylon was the dominant Mesopotamian civilization of his era.

Correct answer: Stone stele

The Code of Hammurabi was carved onto a large basalt stone stele nearly 2.25 metres tall. Its durable stone medium kept the laws publicly visible and preserved for nearly four thousand years.

Correct answer: Lex talionis (law of retaliation)

The Code is known for the principle of lex talionis — punishment should mirror the offense. This idea is often summarized as 'an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.'

Correct answer: Punishments varied by social status

The Code assigned different punishments depending on whether a person was a free citizen, commoner, or slave. This tiered system reflected the deeply hierarchical nature of Babylonian society.

Correct answer: Slaves

Slaves received the harshest penalties under the Code. The law clearly valued lives differently based on social rank, with enslaved people afforded the fewest protections and the most severe punishments.

Correct answer: The gods were the ultimate source of the laws

Hammurabi claimed the laws were given to him by the sun-god Shamash. This divine mandate legitimised both the legal code and his royal authority over Babylon.

Correct answer: Criminal and civil disputes

The Code covers theft, bodily injury, family matters, and commercial contracts — spanning both criminal and civil matters. This breadth made it a comprehensive legal reference for the empire.

Correct answer: It was highly stratified and patriarchal

The Code reflects a hierarchical, patriarchal society with clear class distinctions. Laws frequently favoured male heads of household and the elite over commoners, women, and slaves.

Correct answer: They were punished for unjust decisions

Judges who delivered incorrect or unjust rulings could be fined or removed from office. This accountability clause helped enforce consistency and fairness within the legal system.

Correct answer: Marriage and family

The Code included detailed laws on marriage, divorce, inheritance, and parental responsibilities. These rules were central to maintaining social order in Babylonian households.

Correct answer: It was written down and publicly displayed

While not the very first law code, the Code of Hammurabi was among the earliest to be written down and publicly displayed on a large stele. This promoted transparency and consistent application of the law.

Correct answer: By regulating contracts and wages

The Code regulated commercial contracts, loans, wages, and debts. These provisions supported economic stability and built trust between merchants and customers across the empire.

Correct answer: Execution of the builder

Under the Code, if a builder's negligence caused a house to collapse and kill the owner, the builder was put to death. This strict application of personal responsibility underpinned Hammurabi's concept of proportional justice.

Correct answer: Centered on deterrence and retribution

Justice under the Code emphasised deterrence and proportional punishment. Harsh penalties for offences were intended to discourage future wrongdoing throughout the empire.

Correct answer: It reinforced the king as lawgiver

By presenting himself as the lawgiver chosen by the gods, Hammurabi elevated royal authority. The Code directly linked justice to the king, making him the ultimate arbiter of right and wrong.

Correct answer: Landowning elites

Property laws in the Code strongly protected landowners and the elite class. This focus reflects the economic and social priorities of Babylonian society, where land ownership was the primary source of wealth and power.

Correct answer: Akkadian

The Code was written in Akkadian, the common administrative language of Babylon and wider Mesopotamia. Writing the laws in Akkadian made them accessible to officials and educated elites across the empire.

Correct answer: It is one of the earliest written legal codes

The Code of Hammurabi is historically significant as one of the earliest and most complete written legal codes to survive. It influenced later legal traditions across the ancient Near East and shaped enduring concepts of justice and written law.