The Twelve Tables vs Hammurabi Code

In this academic year, weve studied about different civilizations in ancient time. Our

project aims to study about laws and government in two different civilizations which is

Babylonian civilization and Roman empire. Their suitable geography, their well-organized

government structure and their invention influence them to grown and developed for a long

period of time. In this project, we choose to study about the Twelve Tables and Hammurabi

Code which are the evidence for laws and government in our chosen civilization. We aim to

study about their significant to the civilization and also their influence in our world today. We

also compare the two evidences together and see their difference and similarity.

The Twelve Tables is an early set of rules which was established by the Romans in

around 451-450 BCE. The laws were being written on the twelve bronze tablets, thus given it

to its namesake. Those laws were the major keys that eventually formed the basis for the

Roman Republic itself. Originally, there was supposed to be ten tablets overall, but the

plebeians were devastated upon hearing this. So the second commission was appointed and

therefore, another two tablets were being added in the result. Each tablets were utterly

focused on about legal guardianship, public laws, land rights, or it could even be about the

procedure for the courts and trials too.

Since then, the twelve tables were used to protect the plebeians from getting abused

by patricians and Rome was peaceful once again. Slowly, these laws began to evolve and as

time passed by it has developed into our present laws. The most similar law cannot be

anything else rather than Bill of Rights. The purposed of Bill of Rights was to set limits on

what the government did to benefit peoples personal liberties; it was created in the year
1789. The similarities between these two laws were both of them told what is legal and

illegal, and what punishments are for different crimes. Acknowledge rights of individuals in

the community, outlined the general law, set limits on what the government can do to benefit

peoples personal liberties and last explain court and trial procedures and protocol. It was

definitely changed in a good way, because then every people will have same rights, no more

slaves, and our future was surely brighter.

Code of Hamurabi was written by a babylonian ruler , Hamurabi in 1780 B.C.

Hundred of laws were written on black basalt stone slab. The writing on the stone slab is

unintelligible. Hammurabi wanted to keep his empire in order , so he wrote set of laws by

sent the experts to gather all laws all around his empire. The main idea of the hammurabi

laws is An eye for an eye ,and a tooth for a tooth. The punishment you get is the same as

what you did.

So how does The Twelve Tables primarily affects our modern days? Well, since the

twelve tables were actually the first step which allows all of the citizens protection and rights

in Rome. Somehow it eventually became a model for shaping into the modern republic laws

we all have known today. Especially with the impact towards the legal systems of Europe and

the United States in the present days.

Twelve table laws and Hammurabis code both are set of laws made by ancient

civilisations to protect their people rights and keep their city in peace and harmony . They

both influences most of modern laws in the world.

Bibliography
Kreis, S. (2009, August 3). The Laws of the Twelve Tables, c.450 B.C. Retrieved
February 15, 2017, from http://www.historyguide.org/ancient/12tables.html

Adams, J. P. (2009, June 10). The twelve tables. Retrieved February 15, 2017, from
http://www.csun.edu/~hcfll004/12tables.html

Hammurabi's Code: An Eye for an Eye." N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Feb. 2017, from
http://www.ushistory.org/civ/4c.asp