For those of you who might not be familiar with Hammurabi’s Code, this was the first collective effort to create legal code in a civilized society. It was first discovered in Babylon where 282 laws were inscribed on a pillar. Hammurabi’s Code put a strong focus on commerce as well as criminal and civil law.
By today’s standards, many aspects of Hammurabi’s Code might seem odd. As an example, Law 196 states that if a man strikes a freeborn woman so hard that she loses her unborn child he will pay a fine for her loss. Furthermore, if the woman dies, the man’s daughter shall be put to death. This is a quick example of how these codes serve minimal relevance to today. Laws that have aged better in Hammurabi’s Code is the birth of alcohol regulation.
Alcohol Regulation in Hammurabi’s Code
Hammurabi’s Code briefly touches on the matter of alcohol, taverns and consumption. These codes are every bit as extreme as you might imagine following the example above. For instance, Law 110 states that if a woman opens a tavern or enters a tavern to drink, then said woman will be burned to death.
While that’s not exactly the kind of regulation we deal with today, Hammurabi’s Code does provide valuable insight as to Babylon’s early attempts to control alcohol’s impact on the health of its citizens and, of course, public order. Even then, the public consumption of booze was noteworthy and often disruptive. Though excessive, Hammurabi’s Code did lay the groundwork for the modern-day birth of alcohol regulation.
Learning from Hammurabi’s Code
Many scholars agree that Hammurabi’s Code was created in order to protect the rights of citizens in a civilized society. It’s one of the first instances where the concept of justice is presented. To be sure, Hammurabi’s attempts at alcohol regulation were entirely off the mark and can’t be considered the foundation of anything in place today, but they were deemed necessary by the culture of its time.
Today, states across the country invoke their own “code” and you may be sure that women are more than welcome to enter a tavern, pub or restaurant and have a few drinks without the threat of being “put on the rack.” Obviously, present day laws and codes are far more reasonable.
However, don’t forget that those laws are there to protect the public from a variety of potential threats that might evolve because of consuming too much alcohol. States now put a strong focus on public intoxication or disruption of the peace as well as driving under the influence of alcohol. It’s also important to note that most state laws target over-imbibers as well as those who over-serve those consumers.
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