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 57. If a shepherd has caused the sheep to feed on the green
corn, has not come to an agreement with the owner of the field, without
the consent of the owner of the field has made the sheep feed off the
field, the owner shall reap his fields, the shepherd who without consent
of the owner of the field has fed off the field with sheep shall give
over and above twenty _GUR_ of corn _per GAN_ to the owner of the field.
section 58. If from the time that the sheep have gone up from the
meadow, and the whole flock has passed through the gate, the shepherd has
laid his sheep on the field and has caused the sheep to feed off the
field, the shepherd who has made them feed off the field one shall watch,
and at harvest time he shall measure out sixty _GUR_ of corn _per GAN_ to
the owner of the field.
section 59. If a man without the consent of the owner of the orchard has
cut down a tree in a man's orchard, he shall pay half a mina of silver.
section 60. If a man has given a field to a gardener to plant a garden
and the gardener has planted the garden, four years he shall rear the
garden, in the fifth year the owner of the garden and the gardener shall
share equally, the owner of the garden shall cut off his share and take
it.
section 61. If the gardener has not included all the field in the
planting, has left a waste place, he shall set the waste place in the
share which he takes.
section 62. If the field which has been given him to plant he has not
planted as a garden, if it was corn land, the gardener shall measure out
corn to the owner of the field, like its neighbour, as produce of the
field for the years that are neglected, and he shall do the ordered work
on the field and return to the owner of the field.
section 63. If the field was unreclaimed land, he shall do the ordered
work on the field and return it to the owner of the field and measure out
ten _GUR_ of corn _per GAN_ for each year.
section 64. If a man has given his garden to a gardener to farm, the
gardener as long as he holds the garden shall give to the owner of the
garden two-thirds from the produce of the garden, and he himself shall
take one-third.
section 65. If the gardener does not farm the garden and has diminished
the yield, he shall measure out the yield of the garden like its
neighbour.
NOTE.--Here five columns of the monument have been erased, only the
commencing characters of column xvii. being visible. The subjects of
this last part included the further enactments concerning the rights and
duties of gardeners, the whole of the regulations concerning houses let
to tenants, and the relationships of the merchant to his agents, which
continue on the obverse of the monument. [See page 58.] Scheil estimates
the lost portion at 35 sections, and following him we recommence with
section 100. . . . the interests of the money, as much as he took, he
shall write down, and when he has numbered his days he shall answer his
merchant.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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