Gilgamesh was probably the most powerful king of his time. He ruled at sometime at 2000 to 2500 Bc. Gilgamesh’s father was a king named Lugalbanda, and his mother was a goddess named Ninsun. Because of his mother’s divine heritage, Gilgamesh was considered a demigod and had powers over any ordinary men. These included super strength, great courage, and a much longer lifespan! Gilgamesh is considered a harsh king by his people. The gods hear their complaints, and the goddess of creation, Aruru, creates the wild man Enkidu and sends him to Earth. After being raised by animals, he eventually meets Gilgamesh, and they start a wrestling match. Although they’re equals in strength, Gilgamesh eventually wins the contest, but spares Enkidu.

Hammurabi’s Code provides some of the earliest examples of the attitude of “lex Talionis,” or the laws of revenge, sometimes better known as “an eye for an eye”. The laws include family law, professional contracts and administrative law often outlining different standards of justice for the three classes of Babylonian society - the propertied class, freedmen and slaves. The Code of Hammurabi includes many harsh punishments, sometimes demanding the removal of the guilty party’s tongue, hands, breasts, eye or ear. The code is also one of the earliest examples of an accused person being considered innocent until proven guilty. The laws are all written in “if then” form. For example, if a man steals an ox, then he must pay back 30 times its value. (AT)

A doctor’s fee (while Hammurabi was king) for curing a severe wound would be 10 silver shekels for a gentleman, five shekels for a freedman and two shekels for a slave. However, according to the code of laws, a doctor who killed a rich patient would have his hands cut off, while only financial restitution were required if the victim was a slave. You may think the codes of Hammurabi are harsh, but they did their job to settle justice. (AT)

King Sennacherib was born in 740 B.C.E. King Sennacherib was the son of Sargon II. King Sennacherib’s father, Sargon II was killed in a battle during 705 B.C.E. Also in 705 B.C.E King Sennacherib became king of Assyria. He made Nineveh the capital of Assyria. Assyria is now known as Iraq. The name King Sennacherib pops up in the bible a few times. His name is sometimes mentioned in connection to the biblical account of the Hebrew people. King Sennacherib was known for his military campaigns against Babylon and the Hebrew kingdom of Judah, as well as for his building projects, especially in the city of Nineveh. Lastly King Sennacherib died in 681 B.C.E. (SS)