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Examples of laws[edit]

Under both the old and reformed Hittite law codes, three main types of punishment can be seen: Death, torture, or compensation/fines.^[67] The articles outlined on the cuneiform tablets provide very specific punishments for crimes committed against the Hittite religion or against individuals. In many, but not all cases, articles describing similar laws are grouped together. More than a dozen consecutive articles describe what are known to be permitted and prohibited sexual pairings.^[69][71] These pairings mostly describe men (sometimes specifically referred to as free men, sometimes just men in general)^[71] having relations, be it consensual or not, with animals, step-family, relatives of spouses, or concubines.^[67] Many of these articles do not provide specific punishments but, prior to the law reforms, crimes against religion were most often punishable by death. These include incestuous marriages and sexual relations with certain animals.^[69][71] For example, one article states, "If a man has sexual relations with a cow, it is an unpermitted sexual pairing: he will be put to death."^[71] Similar relations with horses and mules were not subject to capital punishment, but the offender could not become a priest afterword.^[67][69]Actions at the expense of other individuals most often see the offender paying some sort of compensation, be it in the form money, animals, or land. These actions could include the destruction of farmlands, death or injury of livestock, or assault of an individual.^[71] Several articles also specifically mention acts of the gods. If an animal were to die by certain circumstances, the individual could claim that it died by the hand of a god. Swearing that what they claim was true, it seems that they were exempt from paying compensation to the animal's owner.^[69][71] Injuries inflicted upon animals owned by another individual are almost always compensated with either direct payment, or trading the injured animal with a healthy one owned by the offender.^[71]

Not all laws prescribed in the tablets deal with criminal punishment. For example, the instructions of how the marriage of slaves and division of their children are given in a group of articles, "The slave woman shall take most of the children, with the male slave taking one child."^[71] Similar instructions are given to the marriage of free individuals and slaves. Other actions include how breaking of engagements are to be handled.^[69][71]