Final answer:
The Code of Hammurabi enforced the separation of social class through legal regulations, prescribing different punishments and responsibilities based on one's social status, which reinforced the existing hierarchical social structure.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Code of Hammurabi maintained social class distinctions through legal regulations. Hammurabi's Code identified three social classes: nobles (awelum), commoners (mushkenum), and the enslaved (wardum). This legal document stipulated different punishments and responsibilities for people based on their social position. For instance, the principle of 'an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth' only applied within the same social class, meaning if a commoner injured a noble, the retribution could be much harsher than if a noble injured a commoner, which might result only in a fine.
Punishments varied significantly between classes, thereby enforcing the social class distinctions that already existed in Babylonian society. This rigid application of the law based on social status helped cement the hierarchical nature of the Old Babylonian period and discouraged attempts to change one's social class. Military leaders, priests, and official scribes were considered part of the elite nobility and enjoyed certain privileges and protections under the law that were not available to commoners or slaves.