The chronicle=news., 1913-08-02
TABLET 0lscL0XS
MISSING LAWS OF
HAMuRAB|C CODE

ERAG MENTS Of 4 tablet containing.
many OF the missing laws Of the
code OF Hamurabi-a Babyloninn
king who ruled about 1000 years ago
have been discovered. In che Uni
versity OF Pcnnxyivapia Museum. 4:
was announced yesterday. The find
was made by DIR. Arnc Poebei. u dis
tinEuished German Orientalist. who
tn. past year has been letturing on
Oriental history ut the Johns Hop
kinx University. His interest was
aroused In the fraEmcntS several
months ago. and he has since beca
working on tho laboriouS task Of de-
ciphcrinE their inscriptions.
The utclc on which the known part
OF the Hamurubi Code Is written Is
In Paris. but an exact copy In In the
University Museum. Comparing til"
Inscription on the xtcic with that on
the fragments. after he had placed
them together. the professor felt MS
surcd that he had found the missing
laws. Other prominent OricntAlists.
including Judge Mayer Suixbcrgcr.
of this city. agree with Doctor Poe
bel.
When the scholar first expressed his
View concerning the nature Of the In
scrIptions upon which he WINS work
ing the Judge voiced the opinion
that the laws could contain NO erin.
lun1 statutes. His prediction seems
1" have been correct. A single line.
OF which tho firx, words are unfor,-
unatrly missing. reads 4.
he shall he killed" What Of
fcnx. he shall DC killed" refers to Is
unknown.
Most of the laws craven on the
broken tablet relate to nnnnci, Al
transactions. One is Of special I'm
rortancc. ns II contains tho germ OF
our M, dcrn bankrupt iaw. II reads:
III n man has borrowed grain or
money from tho merchant and he hi.
neither grain nor r.oncy TO pny hack.
hut has movable goods. he shall CIV.
whatever he has to the merchant In
.he presence OF witnesses. according
M merchant shall
not refuse. He must accept"
Tho finding oI this law would seem
,f special import. aB II denotes M nd-
Vanccd civilization and recognition
II the rights Of man. In many civil
isstions. long after the era Of King
ianiurabi. In fact. nx late as the year
1000 A. D.. II was customary for the
-rchitor to seize the body Of the deb
tor Aud not 80 many years ago I'm
prisonmcnt for deb, was no; uncom-
non In Christian countries.
During tho period when the code
was written. according Ia historians.
:ho merchant occupied position
similar to that of the financial mag
nate cf our day. Yet according 10
tho Law. no court intcryencd to settle
tho differences: the merchant WIS
compelled to accept the offer of all
Tho debtors property.
Other cnactmcntx indicating the
wisdom and breadth Of mind Of tho
tncient law-givcr. are:
'If the agent or undrrman. who
has borrowed goods or money from
he merchant. claims to have been
robbcd and has nothing to repay. he
must 20 to the tempe and swear to
the e. .ts. after whirii he Is 10 be let
90.
III .hc merchant lends grain ON In.
erect. he shall TAX. cEc-fif,h Of a
tor Of grain for each kor MS interest.
II he lends money upon interest, he
ihall take u sixth and six grains VI
silver for each shckel as interest
That would be about 20 per cen:
The similarity OF the laws Of King
Hamurabi to those Of Moses has Oft
en been commented upon. The orig
ina! stclc, on which the other laws
are written, was discovered In 1909
by the French archacologist. Mon-
sicur dc Morgan. He uncarthcd Il ut
Susa. Part OF the inscription had
been oblitcratcd. II is believed that
the fragmcnts discovered nt the Uni
vcrsity formed part OF n tablet bear
Ing the entire code. The fragments
were discovered among number OF
other undcciphcred bits of ancient
writingl Tho Museum authorities be-
lieve that other parts Of the code may
yet be unearthed.
This discovery is deemed one of the
most important made In the history
Of the Museum.
| +. SHORT CUT