An example of this is the Sumerian law (an eye for an eye) that says that if a house builder is found guilty of faulty construction that kills the owner’s son, then the builder’s son must be put to death in compensation. The Sumerian concept of justice at times reeks of immaturity and reveals that the sense of virtue is hindered by instinctive tendencies and takes time to develop.
The Sumerian practices of slavery and land ownership touch on other issues. The universal traits of nomadic tribes depict egalitarian tendencies where personal property is essentially nonexistent. Slavery does not show up among the universal traits of tribal life, perhaps because nomadic tribes are not willing to take on more mouths to feed. Once the domestication