Y'know, the ancient Mesopotamians had some pretty damn good laws. Seriously, i wouldn't mind seeing some of these put in today's law books. Some of my personal favorites:
"If a man puts out the eye of another man, his eye shall be put out."
"If a man's wife is caught in bed with another man, both will be tied up and thrown in the water."
(this one should become an SWG law) "If any one bring an accusation of any crime before the elders, and does not prove what he has charged, he shall, if it be a capital offense charged, be put to death."
"If a "sister of a god" open a tavern, or enter a tavern to drink, then shall this woman be burned to death."
"If a man take a woman to wife, but have no intercourse with her, this woman is no wife to him."
"If the "finger is pointed" at a man's wife about another man, but she is not caught sleeping with the other man, she shall jump into the river for her husband."
"If the wife of one man on account of another man has their mates (her husband and the other man's wife) murdered, both of them shall be impaled."
"If a man be guilty of incest with his daughter, he shall be driven from the place (exiled)."
"If any one be guilty of incest with his mother after his father, both shall be burned."
"If a son of a paramour or a prostitute say to his adoptive father or mother: "You are not my father, or my mother," his tongue shall be cut off."
"If a man give his child to a nurse and the child die in her hands, but the nurse unbeknown to the father and mother nurse another child, then they shall convict her of having nursed another child without the knowledge of the father and mother and her breasts shall be cut off."
"If a son strike his father, his hands shall be hewn off."
"If a builder build a house for some one, and does not construct it properly, and the house which he built fall in and kill its owner, then that builder shall be put to death."
Those are my favorites. All can be found here: http://eawc.evansville.edu/anthology/hammurabi.htm
"If a man puts out the eye of another man, his eye shall be put out."
"If a man's wife is caught in bed with another man, both will be tied up and thrown in the water."
(this one should become an SWG law) "If any one bring an accusation of any crime before the elders, and does not prove what he has charged, he shall, if it be a capital offense charged, be put to death."
"If a "sister of a god" open a tavern, or enter a tavern to drink, then shall this woman be burned to death."
"If a man take a woman to wife, but have no intercourse with her, this woman is no wife to him."
"If the "finger is pointed" at a man's wife about another man, but she is not caught sleeping with the other man, she shall jump into the river for her husband."
"If the wife of one man on account of another man has their mates (her husband and the other man's wife) murdered, both of them shall be impaled."
"If a man be guilty of incest with his daughter, he shall be driven from the place (exiled)."
"If any one be guilty of incest with his mother after his father, both shall be burned."
"If a son of a paramour or a prostitute say to his adoptive father or mother: "You are not my father, or my mother," his tongue shall be cut off."
"If a man give his child to a nurse and the child die in her hands, but the nurse unbeknown to the father and mother nurse another child, then they shall convict her of having nursed another child without the knowledge of the father and mother and her breasts shall be cut off."
"If a son strike his father, his hands shall be hewn off."
"If a builder build a house for some one, and does not construct it properly, and the house which he built fall in and kill its owner, then that builder shall be put to death."
Those are my favorites. All can be found here: http://eawc.evansville.edu/anthology/hammurabi.htm
