Times of Antiquity

The Babylonian king of the same name created Hammurabi’s Code. Hammurabi (1792 - 1750 BC) united all of Mesopotamia during his forty-three year reign of Babylon. Hammurabi's Code consists of about 282 laws. These laws concern a variety of abuses. Hammurabi took a very paternal point of view during his forty-year reign. His law code is one of the earliest sets of laws to enumerate the responsibility of a man toward his children. These laws outlined the laws of succession from father to son and the responsibilities of a father to pay child support in the case of divorce.

Noachian Laws, which some believe to predate Hammurabi's Codes, is a Jewish Talmudic designation for seven biblical laws given to Adam and Noah before the revelation to Moses on Mt. Sinai. These laws are viewed as universal norms of man's ethical conduct, including the responsibilities of parents to their children. Moses is believed to have been given the Ten Commandments about 1300 B.C. Also known as the Takkanoth, these commandments encompass diverse subjects including educati

The Greek ruler Draco (621 B.C.) created codes of laws that were shockingly harsh. Legend states that these draconian laws were so severe that they were said to have been written not in ink, but in blood. Under the rule of Draco, death was the usual penalty for most of a Grecian man's crimes, including mistreatment of his family. It is said that when Draco himself was asked why he made death the penalty for most offenses, he stated, "the lesser ones deserved it and for the greater ones no heavier penalty could be found." The Greek politician Solon’s great contribution to the future good of Athens provided Greek society with a foundation of statutory law until the end of the 5th century. Within his laws were guidelines describing a father's obligations to his children within Greek society.

The law of ancient Rome evolved from the time of the founding of the city in 753 B.C. until the fall of the Western Empire in the 5th century A.D. One of the chief characteristics of Roman law, as it pertained to the family, was the patria potesta, paternal power. The patria potesta gave the Roman father absolute authority over his children as well as his descendants in the male line, whatever their age might be. Initially this absolute authority included the right of a father to inflict capital punishment upon his children. Also, in its original form, any acquisitions made by a child under potestas became the property of the father. The term Roman law today often refers to more than the laws of Roman society. The legal institutions evolved by the Romans had influence on the laws of other peoples in times long after the disappearance of the Roman Empire and in countries that were never subject to Roman rule.

Shari'ah, Muslim jurisprudence or Allah's law, was regarded as complete by the end of the 9th century. The laws of Islam, also known as the Shari'ah are concerned as much with ethical standards as will legal rules. Islamic laws under the Shari'ah indicate not only what man is entitled or bound to do in law, but also what he ought to do. The Shari’ah is not merely a system of law, but a comprehensive code of behavior that embraces both public and private activities, including a father's obligation to his children as well as society's responsibilities to its children.