Lesson 3 The Legacy of Mesopotamia Chapter 2 Lesson 3 The Legacy of Mesopotamia

I. Hammurabi’s Code 1. Code was the first set of organized laws ever recorded 2. Code included laws about trade, labor, property and family 3. Laws were based on the idea of “an eye for an eye” 4. Laws did NOT apply equally to all people- punishments depended on importance of victim 5. Accidental breaking of laws was viewed as a criminal act 6. Writing of laws ensured that everyone knew laws and the consequences for breaking laws

II. The Art of Writing 1. Writing developed in Mesopotamia around 3100 BC 2. Sumerians developed it to keep records 3. Few people could write; scribes held positions of great respect 4. Sales, trades, tax payments, gifts for the gods, marriages, and deaths were recorded 5. Information was recorded on clay tablets which when dried became permanent records 6. Cuneiform was one of the first forms of writing