Two legal codes Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Two legal codes - Essay Example The law code which was improved to benefit the Roman subjects a few years later came to be known as the Lex Romana Burgundinum. This paper will analyze the two law codes and will focus on their similarities and differences. The Hammurabi law code was based on the presumption of innocence and gives both the accuser and the accused to provide evidence. This is evident in several parts of the code. For example, the third law states, â€Å"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† (fordham.edu par. 65). Another example of the code’s presumption of innocence is in the eleventh law that states, â€Å"If the owner do not bring witnesses to identify the lost article, he is an evil-doer, he has traduced, and shall be put to death† (fordham.edu par. 65). Apart from the presumption of innocence, the Hammurabi law code had strength in that it considered evidence an important part of judgment. This is evident in many of the laws one of which is the tenth law that states, If the purchaser does not bring the merchant and the witnesses before whom he bought the article, but its owner bring witnesses who identify it, then the buyer is the thief and shall be put to death, and the owner receives the lost article. (fordham.edu par. 65). The Hammurabi law code characteristically is associated with harsh punishments for those found at fault. In many cases, the death penalty is applied for crimes that would otherwise be punished through less punitive measures. For example, the 11th law dictates that failure to bring a witness when one is claiming for an article is punishable by death. To a great extent, the code was based on the notion of an eye for an eye. In several instants, the law demands payments or retribution in compensation for actions committed by a person against another. One example of this is the 200th law that states, â€Å"If a