Final answer:
The statement about slaves not being protected under the Code of Hammurabi is not true; they were protected to a lesser degree than other classes. Hammurabi's Code included various laws and protections and differentiated based on social status, which meant variably severe punishments for similar offenses.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement C - Slaves were not protected under the laws is NOT true about the Code of Hammurabi. Hammurabi's Code, which was based on the concept that the strong should not injure the weak, did include protection for slaves, although their rights were considerably less than those of free men or nobility. The code differentiated punishments based on social status and was indeed displayed for public knowledge.
An example of the code's view on slavery can be seen in the law that if a commoner put out the eye or broke the bone of a noble, the consequences for the commoner would be severe; however, if a noble harmed a slave, they were required to compensate the slave owner but not face physical harm themselves.
Moreover, it's also important to note that the law prescribed the punishment of cutting off a son's hand should he strike his father, which suggests corporal punishment was part of the legal framework.