The six characteristics of a civilization are cities, religion, social structure, social classes, writing, and art and worship.  The Code of Hammurabi, The Story of the Flood from Gilgamesh, Genesis 6-8 Exodus 20, and Deuteronomy 5 all display same of the characteristics of a civilization.  The Code of Hammurabi was the law in the Babylon.  Babylon was a patriarchal society and a monarchy.  Patriarch means that the society is run by men and Monarch means that they had kings.  The Babylonians also had a polytheistic religion, meaning they believed that there was more than one god.  In the Epic of Gilgamesh, specifically the story of the flood, it revealed that they where also a polytheistic religion.  The Mesopotamians, just like the Babylonians, were a patriarchal and they had elders of the city.  The Israelites in the other had was still a patriarchal society but they were monotheistic.  Monotheism is the belief that there is only one God.  They had the law of Moses, which included the ten commandments,  telling them how they should live and act and how they should pray and worship.  They believed that God was the highest authority.  They received instructions on how to build the tabernacle and on who was allowed where in it.