Page "Code of Hammurabi" Paragraph 1

Nearly one-half of the Code deals with matters of contract, establishing for example the wages to be paid to an ox driver or a surgeon.

Other provisions set the terms of a transaction, establishing the liability of a builder for a house that collapses, for example, or property that is damaged while left in the care of another.

A third of the code addresses issues concerning household and family relationships such as inheritance, divorce, paternity and sexual behavior.

Only one provision appears to impose obligations on an official ; this provision establishes that a judge who reaches an incorrect decision is to be fined and removed from the bench permanently.

A handful of provisions address issues related to military service.