Carved on a stele, Hammurabi’s code
opens with legal history’s longest
run-on sentence—the king dropping a load
of gods’ names to hype his noble quest:
“to enlighten the land, to further the
well-being of mankind.” Laws numbering
nearly three hundred. In the U.S., we
could take a cue: Prosecutors bringing
grievous charges—yet failing to prove them—
lose their heads. A judge’s errant ruling
finds him paying twelve times the fine—a gem
of an idea. Still, the old code brings
evil where we, sometimes, show bravery:
King Hammurabi promotes slavery.
Roger Armbrust
June 2, 2007
