SOME BABYLONIAN LAWS'
 

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A.   ANCIENT BABYLONIAN  LAWS

BE it enacted forever and for afl future days: If a son
say to his father, " Thou art not my father," he can
cut off (his locks), make him a slave and sell him for
money.—If a son say to his mother, " Thou art not my
mother," she can cut off his locks, turn him out of town, or
(at least) drive him away from home (I. e., she can have him
deprived of citizenship and of Inheritance, but his liberty he
loses not).—If a father say to his son, " Thou art not my
son," the latter has to leave house and field (I. e., he loses
everything).—If a mother say to her son, " Thou art not
my son," he shall leave house and furniture.—If a wife be
unfaithful to her husband and then says, " Thou art not
my husband," let her be thrown into the river.—If a hus¬
band say to his wife, " Thou art not my wife," he shall
as a fine pay one half maneh of silver.-—If some one
hires a servant and the latter dies or is rendered useless
otherwise (e. g., by flight, rebellion, or sickness) he
shall give (to the owner) as daily wages ten KA of corn
a day.

If an overseer or a fisherman ordered to the service
of the king does not come, but sends a hireling in his
stead, that same overseer or fisherman shall be put to

• Laws governing private as well as public and political Hfe were
written up in Babylonia as early as Z250 B. c. Unfortunately, most of
these early documents have been preserved in very fragmentary condi¬
tion, so that only a few phases of early Babylonian law and jurispru¬
dence are now known to us.

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