Did you know that injuries have been “worth something” for almost 4,000 years?
The Code of Hammurabi was one of the earliest legal codes in recorded history, dating back to ancient Babylon in 1754 BC. The code, which was written on a stele and erected in the city of Babylon, consisted of 282 laws that covered a wide range of topics, from property rights and trade regulations to criminal law and family law.
One of the key features of the Code of Hammurabi was its use of a system of fines and compensations to determine the financial worth of an injury. This system, known as the law of retaliation, was based on the principle of “an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.” Under this system, the punishment for a crime was closely tied to the severity of the injury inflicted upon the victim.
For example, if a person caused the loss of an eye, the punishment would be the loss of an eye. Similarly, if a person caused the loss of a finger, the punishment would be the loss of a finger. This system was also applied to financial compensation, with the value of the compensation being closely tied to the severity of the injury.
The Code of Hammurabi also provided guidelines for determining the financial worth of specific types of injuries. For example, the code stated that the loss of a finger was worth one mina of silver, while the loss of an eye was worth ten minas of silver. These guidelines were used to determine the appropriate compensation for injuries in cases of civil disputes, such as those involving property damage or personal injury.
The Code of Hammurabi was not only an important legal document in ancient Babylon, but also had a significant influence on the development of legal systems in other ancient civilizations, such as the Hittites, Assyrians, and Persians. Its legacy can also be seen in the legal systems of modern societies, as many of the principles of the Code of Hammurabi, such as the idea of an “eye for an eye” and the use of fines and compensation to determine the financial worth of an injury, continue to be used in legal systems
At Billings Chiropractic Injury Clinic, we Identify the injuries and determine the impairment rating that is associated with that injury. Then your attorney can try and settle for the appropriate amount of money for you.
