Human beings, being inherently selfish, will attempt to exploit each other if this type of behavior is not discouraged. Today, nations have collections of laws and codes that their citizens are expected to follow. Laws are a tradition that dates back thousands of years, often grouped together in collections of recorded rulings called “codes.” One of the most historically relevant examples is a set of codices by an individual known as Hammurabi. (“legal code”) The Code of Hammurabi dates back to approximately the 18th century BCE by a group of people known as the Babylonians who lived in Mesopotamia (Andrew #13), which is located in modern-day Iraq. (Mark) According to the Code, which was recorded for posterity on a great stone pillar, (Andrew #13) Hammurabi established “Law and Justice” “for the good of the people.” Although the Code fulfills these promises, the rule of law in Hammurabi's time does not match that of today, since the version of justice contained in the code lacks the guarantee of equality contained in modern laws. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay While reading the code, a sense of “justice” emerges. The code establishes the crimes that people commit against each other and also prescribes punishments for these crimes. For example, the code specifies: “If a man has committed brigandage and has been captured, that man shall be killed.” This declares that the crime of brigandage, or robbery, (“brigandage”) will be punishable by death. To bring justice to the offended person, in case the offender cannot be found, the governor of the region where the crime was committed will return the stolen property. In another example of justice, a life is determined to have value. In the case of murder, the code prescribes “half a mina of silver” to the family of the deceased. Although the code specified a value for life, different people could have a different value. For example, the Code commands anyone who causes the destruction of the eye of a free man to have his own eye destroyed. However, destroying a farmer's eye only requires the payment of one silver mina. Destroying one's slave's eye requires the owner to pay half the slave's value. These steps in value show that during Hammurabi's time, men of different classes were valued differently. Women in Babylonian society had value in a different way than men. The value of women was similar to that of property, and this is supported by the Code. Men, who controlled the family, could rent their wives and children to others as payment of a debt for a period of three years. Once three years have passed, they are freed again and can be part of their original family. Another notable case is that of a man who kills “the daughter of a free man,” where consequently the murderer's daughter, even if unrelated to the crime, must be killed. In a sense, this is justice for men, for the man who caused another to lose a daughter is deprived of his own daughter. However, this does not do justice for the murdered daughter, as the other person who robbed her of her life was not robbed of hers. This is an example of how Babylonian society could be considered patriarchal, as Hammurabi's code was written in such a way that male heads of households were given the most control over their family, but also the most responsibility for their family. Heads of families were granted control over their children and wives, but this control was not absolute..