Human Heritage: A World History

Chapter 3: Mesopotamia

Web Activity Lesson Plans

“Ancient Sumer”

Introduction
Students have read about the ancient Mesopotamian civilization of Sumer. In this lesson, students will examine the legal contributions made by Hammurabi and the Sumerians.

Lesson Description
Students will use information from the Sumerian Web site to learn about the Code of Hammurabi. Each student will then answer several questions and apply this information to create a poster illustrating the similarities and differences between Hammurabi's law code and our present legal system.

Instruction Objectives

1. Students will explore the legal code of Hammurabi.
2. Students will use this knowledge to design posters that compare and contrast the code of Hammurabi with our present legal system.

Student Web Activity Answers

1. 282
2. King Hammurabi is shown receiving laws from the Babylonian sun god, Shamash.
3. The code was based on retribution, not justice, and varied unfairly between social classes.
4. There is no 13th law because the number 13 was considered unlucky.
5. Students' posters will vary.