Mesopotamia: Hammurabi and Hammurabi's Code

 Today's Focus Question  Who was Hammurabi and what was the significance of Hammurabi's Code? 

Who was Hammurabi?  According to your textbook, Hammurabi "became king of the city of Babylon around 1792 B.C. For more than 30 years, he built up his army. Then he launched a series of all-out attacks against his rivals. Within a few years he had united Sumer and northern Mesopotamia into a new Babylonian Empire." 

To learn more about Hammurabi, watch the brief video below. 

Hammurabi's Code  Why was Hammurabi's law code so historically significant? To begin to understand, watch the video below. 

Hammurabi's Code Activity  Now you will have an opportunity to examine Hammurabi's code of laws in detail at the website here. You will explore real situations that Hammurabi actually faced. You will then decide what you think to be a fair way to deal with the problem. Finally, you will discover what Hammurabi declared. You will use the document You Be the Judge: Hammurabi's Code, which can be found in your Social Studies Google Classroom.