User:MathDementor/Evaluate an Article

Which article are you evaluating?
Code of Hammurabi

Why you have chosen this article to evaluate?
I chose this article because I wanted to choose something I already have some familiarity with and that is related to the law. I wanted something familiar so that I could focus on the exercise of evaluating it rather than 'getting distracted' by learning something new. My preliminary impression is that the article is well-written and researched. The article has several sections presented in a logical with links, footnotes, and images.

Evaluate the article
Lead Section

The first paragraph contains a concise description and overview of the Code of Hammurabi. The following paragraphs of the lead section provide details on the discovery of the stele as well as a detailed physical description of the stele. The lead section continues with a general description of the subject matter of the Code and information about where replicas of the stele can be found.

Content

The article contains extensive background information that roots the Code in history and connects it with other law collections of the time and area. The article includes detailed information about copies of the stele including current location and historical discovery.

The Early Scholarship section contains a brief history of those who interacted with the stele after its discovery followed by a section titled Frame. It's unclear to me why it is called Frame but it does contain a detailed description of the contents of the Code followed by a section that displays the laws found in the Code in an easy-to-read table.

The next sections include theories regarding the purpose or use of the Code as well as, according to scholars, the underlying principles of the Code. I found this section to be both interesting as well as lacking in several references. The final section that was specifically about the Code of Hammurabi was on language which seems like it might be better earlier in the article.

The article included a final couple of sections that rooted the code in other law collections as well as the social, religious, and cultural context.

Tone and Balance

The article presents as neutral. While I am not as familiar with some of the scholarship presented, the presentation does not seem overtly biased. For me, the bias is present in the lack of variety of scholarship presented as well as the lack of extensive discussion of the impact. While it does present varying perspectives, the perspectives presented do not address any issues of equity and give little critical discussion on the overall impact of the Code on the development of our current legal system.

Sources and References

In general, the sources were from academic material written by male academics. The reference section included a link to a TV soundtrack, a song, and a Discovery Channel piece.

Organization and Writing Quality

In general, the article reads as an academic venture. Later in the article, the writing was not as precise. There were numerous entries that did not include specific details, but rather general statements without attribution.

Images and Media

The article included a variety of images from an image of the actual stele to depictions in art.

Talk Page Discussion

The Talk Page had one statement regarding improvement with two responses. This seems to indicate a small amount of interest in improving the article.

Overall Impressions

Overall, the article was helpful in learning some general knowledge about the Code of Hammurabi as well as learning some of the scholarship. However, the article could be improved by a greater variety of contributions.