The Oldest Code of Laws in the World: The code of laws promulgated by Hammurabi, King of Babylon, B.C. 2285-2242Hammurabi, King of Babylonia
History
The Oldest Code of Laws in the World: The code of laws promulgated by Hammurabi, King of Babylon, B.C. 2285-2242
Hammurabi, King of Babylonia
Law -- Iraq -- Babylonia -- Sources
section 176. And if a slave of the palace or the slave of a poor man has
taken to wife the daughter of a gentleman and, when he married her, with
a marriage portion from her father's house she entered into the house of
the slave of the palace, or of the slave of the poor man, and from the
time that they started to keep house and acquired property, after either
the servant of the palace or the servant of the poor man has gone to his
fate, the daughter of the gentleman shall take her marriage portion, and
whatever her husband and she from the time they started have acquired one
shall divide in two parts and the owner of the slave shall take one-half,
the daughter of a gentleman shall take one-half for her children. If the
gentleman's daughter had no marriage portion, whatever her husband and
she from the time they started have acquired one shall divide into two
parts, and the owner of the slave shall take half, the gentleman's
daughter shall take half for her sons.
section 177. If a widow whose children are young has set her face to
enter into the house of another, without consent of a judge she shall not
enter. When she enters into the house of another the judge shall enquire
into what is left of her former husband's house, and the house of her
former husband to her later husband, and that woman he shall entrust and
cause them to receive a deed. They shall keep the house and rear the
little ones. Not a utensil shall they give for money. The buyer that
has bought a utensil of a widow's sons shall lose his money and shall
return the property to its owners.
section 178. If a lady, votary, or a vowed woman whose father has
granted her a marriage portion, has written her a deed, in the deed he
has written her has not, however, written her 'after her wherever is good
to her to give,' has not permitted her all her choice, after the father
has gone to his fate, her brothers shall take her field and her garden,
and according to the value of her share shall give her corn, oil, and
wool, and shall content her heart. If her brothers have not given her
corn, oil, and wool according to the value of her share, and have not
contented her heart, she shall give her field or her garden to a
cultivator, whoever pleases her, and her cultivator shall sustain her.
The field, garden, or whatever her father has given her she shall enjoy
as long as she lives, she shall not give it for money, she shall not
answer to another, her sonship is her brothers' forsooth.
section 179. If a lady, a votary, or a woman vowed, whose father has
granted her a marriage portion, has written her a deed, in the deed he
wrote her has written her 'after her wherever is good to her to give,'
has allowed to her all her choice, after the father has gone to his fate,
after her wherever is good to her she shall give, her brothers have no
claim on her.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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