In the time of Hammurabi of Babylon, a new fear enters hearts. The harshest punishments are set into laws, terror inscribed in stone. The code favors might, the code favors men—and therefore women, children, slaves, outsiders and men who do not have any power or wealth are all deemed inferior. Hammurabi’s wrath is particularly reserved for those who transgress. A wife who accidentally hurts her husband’s testicles is to be punished more severely than a habitual thief or even a cold-blooded murderer. Women accused of neglecting their homes are cast into the river. The Tigris, ever patient with
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