Code of Hammurabi

The Code of Hammurabi is a well-preserved ancient law code, created circa 1760 BC in ancient Babylon. It was enacted by the sixth Babylonian king, Hammurabi.

Hammurabi was the ruler who chiefly established the greatness of Babylon, the world first metropolis. He was the man of war and also a man of peace.

Hammurabi is best remembered for his law code. Although the Sumerian compiled earlier law codes, Hammurabi’s code was the famous in early Mesopotamian history. The code as carved upon a black stone monument, eight feet high, and clearly intended to be reared in public view.

Code of Hammurabi

The Code of Hammurabi reveals a society with a system of strict justice. It is a list of 282 rules gathered from existing sources and written down in one place. This rules state the specific ways people were to behave among their fellow men and conduct transactions.

The subjects of Babylon were to follow these rules under penalty of punishment. Penalties for criminal offenses were severe and varied according to the social class of the victim.

The code regulates in clear and definite strokes the organization of society. The judge who blunders in a law case is to be expelled from his judgeship forever, and heavily fined. The witness who testifies falsely is to be slain.
Code of Hammurabi