Hailey Jenkins

Ms. Mauk

ENC 2135

17 October 2016

An Eye For an Eye: The Sociological Role of Revenge in Ancient Babylon

     Babylon, around 1754 bc, was not a good place to live if you were a criminal. This time period and place is important because it was the time of Hammurabi’s code of laws. Hammurabi’s Code of Laws is a collection of “282 very strict laws [that are written] on an upright stone pillar.” (UShistory) These laws were made “to make justice visible in the land, to destroy the wicked person and the evil-doer, that the strong might not injure the weak.” (Boundless) To these people, justice and revenge were synonymous. In this culture, it was widely accepted that one had to pay for what they had done. Because justice played such an important role in their lives, the pursuit of revenge was second nature to them. From researching this time period, I have come to the question: why was revenge valued so highly in this society?

     Revenge was very important during the time of Hammurabi’s rule. Because of the laws he laid out, and his brilliant leadership skills, he was able to take a small civilization and eventually take over all of Mesopotamia. (Mark) This was not an easy task, but when his people followed strict law, it was easier. Once he ruled all of Mesopotamia, he needed a strict, universal law even more. Ruling such a big nation couldn’t have been easy, so he had to rule with an iron fist, as the saying goes. Sociological studies suggest that one’s value system can be very much influenced by the rules and laws of the country they live in. An article from Psychologytoday.com said “Your values form the foundation of your life… Despite this importance, few people choose their values. Instead, they simply adopt… the dominant values of society. Because of this, Hammurabi know that the importance of justice had to be very visible to his citizens. If the Mesopotamians saw that justice and revenge was important to society, it would be important to them. If justice and revenge was important to them, they would encourage and enforce Hammurabi’s laws.

     Hammurabi’s laws were also valued highly because of their religion. The Babylonians practiced a polytheistic faith. Polytheism is the belief that there is more than one god. (Polytheism) Because of their religion, they believed that their sun god gave the Code of Laws to Hammurabi. Because of this, they felt that the laws were perfect and needed to be followed very closely or the gods would be angry.

      The laws created a culture of revenge. After a while, the thought of cutting off a robber’s hand became second nature.

     Important because it’s used to destroy wicked person and evil doer.

    

 

 

 

Questions to lead paper: How did revenge contribute to this society? Why was the sociological role of revenge so important?

See it in Muslim society today. (maybe if it fits)

They did flourish because of this. Focus on growth and getting better. Lowered oppression. research supports points

why instead of what

 

 

Works cited

Boundless (2016). Boundless World History I: Ancient Civilizations-Enlightenment.

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Geller, Mark. The Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute 15.3 (2009): 630-1. Print.

“Hammurabi's Code: An Eye for an Eye.” Ushistory.org, Independence Hall Association, http://www.ushistory.org/civ/4c.asp.

Hinton, Alexander Laban. "A Head for an Eye: Revenge in the Cambodian Genocide." American Ethnologist 25.3 (1998): 352-77. Print.

Jacobsen, Thorkild. "Primitive Democracy in Ancient Mesopotamia." Journal of Near Eastern Studies 2.3 (1943): 159-72. Print.

KAPLAN, ROBERT D. "The Revenge of Geography." Foreign Policy.172 (2009): 96-105. Print.

Lyon, David G. "Notes on the Hammurabi Monument." Journal of the American Oriental Society 25 (1904): 266-78. Print.

Mark, Joshua J. “Hammurabi.” Ancient History Encyclopedia, Ancient History Encyclopedia, 12 Nov. 2011, http://www.ancient.eu/hammurabi/.

McMahon, Augusta. "Hammurabi of Babylon." Journal of the Economic & Social History of the Orient 56.3 (2013): 530-2. Print.

Pfeiffer, R. H. "An Analysis of the Hammurabi Code." The American Journal of Semitic Languages and Literatures 36.4 (1920): 310-5. Print.

Polytheism.” Merriam-Webster, Merriam-Webster Dictionary, http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/polytheism.

Seymour, Michael. "Ancient Mesopotamia and Modern Iraq in the British Press, 1980–2003." Current anthropology 45.3 (2004): 351-68. Print.

Veenhof, K. R. "Ancient Mesopotamia and JESHO." Journal of the Economic and Social History of the Orient 36.2 (1993): 120-38. Print.

Vincent, George E. "The Laws of Hammurabi." American Journal of Sociology 9.6 (1904): 737-54. Print.

Webb, David. "A 'Revenge' on Modern Times: Notes on Traumatic Brain Injury." Sociology 32.3 (1998): 541-55. Print.

Weinraub, Bernard, and Warren Hoge. "Trying to Restore a Functioning Legal System to the Land of Hammurabi's Code." New York Times 152.52459 (2003): B6. Print.