Subject  Social Science, History

Purpose   One of the problems facing early civilizations was setting up laws to govern themselves once people started living in communities instead of hunting, gathering, and roaming for food.  Four thousand years later, we take a lot of this for granted.   But, it is a slow process, and we are still trying to perfect it today.  This activity is designed to give the students a taste of the problems that early people faced when they found the need to govern themselves.  Some of the judgments may be harsh but that always leads to good discussion. 

Objectives   Students will be able to:

You Be the Judge on Hammurabi's Code, the lesson 

1.  Getting Started  First discuss (hopefully review) with the students what life was like for people when they were hunters and gatherers.   Then, discuss changes that took place in society to bring early people into the Neolithic Age.  A brief overview can be found on Encarta or after a few moments of surfing under "Paleolithic Age" , "Old Stone Age" , "Neolithic Age" , and "New Stone Age".  Also be sure to check out the links for further background information on Hammurabi and Babylon.

2.  To the Board, Please Next, ask the students to brainstorm with you as you come up with positive and negative aspects of people starting to live in villages, towns, and large communities.  Write these ideas on the board or on an overhead projector.  A possible list may include the following:

The list could go on and on.  It may take a bit of leading, but eventually, the students will come up with the problems governing large groups of people.  People have been killing, stealing, and maiming for quite a long time.  How did the earliest civilizations handle these situations?   Have we made any progress in four thousand years? 

Hammurabi wasn't the first ruler to establish a code of laws.  Earlier records date back four hundred years.  Many of Hammurabi's laws, as it turns out,  were exact copies of earlier Sumerian laws.  His code, however, is the best preserved legal document giving us an idea of the life and social structure of the people during Hammurabi's reign.  It is now time for your students to determine if he was an enlightened, benevolent ruler, or a cruel, demanding tyrant.  

3.  The Activity   If you are using a written text, the visuals to go along with this lesson on Hammurabi's Code of Law can be accessed on my Web site located at http://www.phillipmartin.info//hammurabi.   You will need to access this site to get the list of eight situations to use in this activity. 

In groups of three or four, have the students go to various stations in the room. (These stations could be sheets of paper set up on the wall or cardboard posters on the floor.  My personal favorite is the table tops where students may freely write with white board markers.)  At each station is one situation faced by Hammurabi.  The students are to read the situation and, as a group, decide what should be done under the circumstances to achieve justice.  It must be a group decision -- no tyrants allowed in this activity. 

Each group should proceed from station to station making their just and fair decisions.  It doesn't take long, and when all groups have made most decisions, gather the students around the computer monitor for a time of discussion. 

4.  The Discussion   Remind the students that the rulers of ancient Babylon believed that the gods had entrusted them to deal fairly with their people.  These laws were to protect the oppressed and safeguard human rights.   Hammurabi called himself the "king of justice to whom Shamash has committed the truth".

Talk about each of the situations individually.    What decisions did they have for the various situations?  Did they strive to protect the oppressed and safeguard human rights?  If so, then Shamash would be proud of them.  After the students' responses have been given, click on the appropriate clay tablet located on the situation index to learn Hammurabi's judgments.  When all is said and done, remember the prologue and epilogue declare the divine commission which Hammurabi received from the gods to secure the general welfare of the people. 

5.  Clay Tablet Time   This is not a hard activity to generate opinions, very strong opinions.  And, it is a good opportunity for the students to pull out their clay tablets -- or paper, if you must -- to write a letter to the editor of the Babylonian Times.  In the letter, they must clearly state the code number they are discussing, their opinion of the code, and why they feel that way.  If they disagree with the code, they should offer suggestions for Hammurabi to consider.  Generally, it is recommended that one signs a letter to the editor.  However, when dealing with Hammurabi, that may not always be advisable.  He may add code 283 to this list which could possibly concern disrespectful citizens who disagree with his divinely inspired judgments.  

6.  Evaluation of the Clay Tablet  This Holistic Rubric, or a variation of it, may be used to evaluate the editorials for the Babylonian Times written by the students .

7.  Digging in a Little Deeper    After the letters to the editor are written, have the kids dig in and do research on Hammurabi, Mesopotamia, and the Code.   There are always two sides to an issue.  There had to be reasoning behind the judgments of Hammurabi.  What were the living situations like at the time?   Daily life?  Government?  Threats to the government?  Use online research to find these answers.  (Use the references on the Links page for a starter.   My search engine of choice, Dogpile, has tons more "clay tablets" under Hammurabi.)

Next, divide the class into sides on a few of the issues.   Using researched based information, argue specific laws either pro or con.   Finally, hooking up with another class online through Global Schoolnet or the Intercultural Email Classroom Exchange, debate the issues over the net.

And the Proof that it Works!    I have taught long enough to know that most of what my students learn seems to be forgotten in two months -- gone completely!  No trace!  Never heard of that!  However, several of my former students came to my room and saw me as I drew the illustrations for this Web page.  At the mention of the name Hammurabi, they smiled and told me all about the activity concerning his laws.   That was well over two months ago, actually well over a year ago, and I knew for certain that I had come up with a fun activity that kept their attention and taught them something at the same time.

But, don't just take my word for it.  Look at some of the feedback that I have received from those who have paid homage to Hammurabi.

Meeting Individual Needs

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Taking it Further   This activity, done in the beginning of the year or even later if revisions are felt helpful, would be an excellent stepping stone for students in setting up guidelines for their own classroom.  If students had ownership of the policies of the classroom, it would be interesting to see their sense of justice.  Are the rules just and fair for all concerned?  Their policies must, of course,  be ones that Hammurabi, Shamash, and the teacher feel are just and fair.   

Links to Related Subjects   This activity crosses over into other areas of the curriculum.  You may wish to coordinate lessons with other subjects and/or with teachers of other disciplines.