The Code of Hammurabi is one of the oldest significant forms of “written” law that gives us an account of how early Mesopotamian kings were issuing codes of law. The sixth king of the Babylonian Empire, Hammurabi, wrote and enacted the code in 1772 BCE. Paper had not become a widely used commodity during the third millennium BCE, so giant stone slabs called steles were used. About one-half of the Code pertains to matters involving contracts and the wages that were to be paid out to different professions. Several laws established the conditions of how business agreements would be dealt with and created liability if an individual did a job incorrectly or if property was damaged during the course of job. Another portion of the code covers personal issues between individuals of a household and how matters are to be handled in disputes over inheritance, divorce, paternity and sexual behavior. The Code suggests that writing was use...