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The Code of Ur-Nammu is the oldest known surviving law code, written between 2100 and 2050 BCE. It was written by Sumerian king Ur-Nammu or possibly his son Shulgi of Ur. The code was discovered in Iraq in 1948 and translated in 1952 by scholar Samuel Noah Kramer. The code contains 57 laws, of which only 30 have been fully reconstructed. It is a strong statement of royal power and includes laws relating to marriage, divorce, and social order.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Name | Code of Ur-Nammu |
| Date | c. 2100-2050 BCE or 2050-2047 BCE |
| Author | Written by the Sumerian king Ur-Nammu or possibly by his son, Shulgi of Ur |
| Number of laws | 57 laws, 30-40 of them have been fully reconstructed |
| Language | Sumerian |
| Format | Clay tablets |
| Severity | Less severe than the Code of Hammurabi |
| Purpose | To make clear to the people what the laws were and what their king expected from them in terms of behavior |
| Examples of laws | If a slave marries a native person, they must hand their firstborn son over to their owner |
| If a man divorces his first-time wife, he must pay her one mina of silver | |
| If a man deflowers the virgin female slave of another man, he must pay five shekels of silver |
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What You'll Learn
The Code of Ur-Nammu is the oldest known surviving law code
The Code of Ur-Nammu was instituted by the Sumerian king Ur-Nammu, who ruled from 2047-2030 BCE. However, some historians believe the laws should be ascribed to his son Shulgi, who may have published them after his father's death. The code was further developed by Shulgi's successors and influenced later codes such as the Laws of Eshnunna and the laws decreed under Lipit-Ishtar.
The code was written to make clear to the people what the laws were and what their king expected of them in terms of behaviour. It standardised the law across the region of Sumer and revealed a glimpse of Sumerian society during the Sumerian Renaissance. The laws are arranged in a casuistic form of 'if (crime), then (punishment)', a pattern followed in nearly all subsequent codes.
The Code of Ur-Nammu contains strong statements of royal power, such as "I eliminated enmity, violence, and cries for justice". It also includes laws relating to marriage, slavery, and bodily harm. For example, if a man knocked out another man's tooth, he would be required to pay two shekels of silver in compensation.
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The Code of Ur-Nammu was written in Sumerian c. 2100–2050 BC
The Code of Ur-Nammu is the oldest known surviving law code, written in the Sumerian language on clay tablets around 2100–2050 BC. It is from Mesopotamia, specifically the ancient Sumerian city of Nippur, now located in modern-day Iraq. The code is written in the form of a prologue followed by the laws, with 57 laws in total, 30 of which have been fully reconstructed. The prologue invokes the deities for Ur-Nammu's kingship, Nanna and Utu, and decrees "equity in the land".
The code is attributed to King Ur-Nammu of Ur, who reigned from 2047 to 2030 BC, or his son Shulgi of Ur, who reigned from 2029 to 1982 BC. The authorship is somewhat disputed, as some scholars argue that Shulgi, the son and successor of Ur-Nammu, wrote the code. The code was further developed by Shulgi's successors and influenced later codes such as the Laws of Eshnunna (c. 1930 BCE) and the laws under the reign of Lipit-Ishtar (c. 1870 to c. 1860 BCE).
The Code of Ur-Nammu provides insight into the legal system and societal structure of ancient Sumerian society. It includes statements of royal power and reveals a glimpse of the Third Dynasty of Ur in Sumer, also known as the Ur III Period and the Sumerian Renaissance. The laws were arranged in a casuistic form, with a crime followed by the corresponding punishment. For example, if a slave marries a native person and that slave is set free, they must hand over their firstborn son to their owner. Additionally, the code instituted fines for bodily damage instead of the later "eye for an eye" principle of Babylonian law.
The discovery and translation of the Code of Ur-Nammu are significant. The first copy was discovered in two fragments at Nippur, and only the prologue and five laws were discernible due to the poor state of preservation. These fragments were translated into English in 1952 by Samuel Kramer, and subsequent translations of other fragments have provided further insight into this ancient law code.
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The Code of Ur-Nammu was written on clay tablets
The Code of Ur-Nammu, the oldest known surviving law code, was written on clay tablets in the Sumerian language. It is from Mesopotamia and is dated to c. 2100–2050 BC or 2050–2047 BC. The tablets were discovered in two fragments at Nippur, an ancient Sumerian city in modern-day Iraq. The tablets were written in cuneiform script and were divided into eight columns, four on the obverse and four on the reverse. Each column contained about 45 small, ruled spaces, and the obverse contained a long prologue that was only partially intelligible due to numerous breaks in the text. The Code of Ur-Nammu contained 57 laws, 30 of which have been fully reconstructed.
The clay tablets bearing the Code of Ur-Nammu were discovered in 1948 and were translated by Samuel Noah Kramer in 1952, bringing to light the oldest law code in the world at the time. The tablets are held at the Istanbul Archaeology Museums, and fragments are also held at the Iraq Museum in Baghdad. The author of the Code of Ur-Nammu is somewhat disputed. While the laws are credited directly to King Ur-Nammu of Ur in the prologue, some scholars have attributed them to his son Shulgi, who may have been the actual author.
The Code of Ur-Nammu is significant because it provides a glimpse into the way justice was conceived in ancient Sumerian society. It was written to make clear to the people what the laws were and what their king expected of them in terms of behaviour. The code presents itself as a set of rules for a family, with Ur-Nammu presenting himself as the father of his people. The laws contain strong statements of royal power, such as "I eliminated enmity, violence, and cries for justice."
The Code of Ur-Nammu is arranged in a casuistic form, with a standard conditional formula of "if-this-then-that." This structure, where the crime is followed by the punishment, was followed in nearly all later codes. The code also shares similarities with later law codes such as those of the Assyrians and the Mosaic Law of the Bible, as they all claim to have been received from the gods.
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The Code of Hammurabi was the first Mesopotamian law collection to be discovered
The Code of Hammurabi, discovered in 1901, was the first Mesopotamian law collection to be found. It is a collection of 282 laws and regulations written in cuneiform script on a seven-foot, four-inch stone monument. The Code of Hammurabi was written by the Babylonian king Hammurabi, who ruled from 1792 to 1750 BC. The laws are written in the Old Babylonian dialect of Akkadian and are in a regular and repetitive style. They are written in poetic form, with a 300-line prologue that begins with an etiology of Hammurabi's royal authority.
Hammurabi's Code was instituted c. 1772 BCE to establish order in Babylon, which was a cosmopolitan intellectual and trade center, attracting people from diverse backgrounds and regions. The code, therefore, had to transcend any national legal traditions or local practices that people may have been accustomed to in their places of origin. It also had to set itself apart from traditional law practices observed in the various Mesopotamian city-states and kingdoms. Hammurabi's Code is considered the first effort to create a unified set of abstract legal precepts for an entire country.
Despite being the first Mesopotamian law collection to be discovered, it was not the oldest. The Code of Ur-Nammu, for example, is older and dates to c. 2100-2050 BCE or 2050-2047 BCE. It was written by the Sumerian king Ur-Nammu or his son Shulgi of Ur. The Code of Hammurabi bears strong similarities to later Mesopotamian law collections, such as the casuistic Middle Assyrian Laws and the Neo-Babylonian Laws. These later collections likely drew direct influence from Hammurabi's Code due to its survival through the scribal curriculum.
The Code of Hammurabi has been described as a surviving symbol of an ancient Mesopotamian system for solving disputes, punishing crimes, and regulating business practices. It has been said to have influenced the development of legal systems and courts in the U.S. and other modern societies. Hammurabi's Code "differs from earlier Mesopotamian law codes as it is more detailed, giving us more insights into the laws and rules of the day, social structure, and how laws were applied to different groups of people." However, some historians argue that it was not a comprehensive collection of laws and that it may have been more about appearance than actual governance.
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The Code of Hammurabi was written c. 1750 BC
The Code of Hammurabi is a Babylonian legal text composed around 1750 BC. It is the longest, best-preserved, and best-organised legal text from the ancient Near East. The Code of Hammurabi was written in the Old Babylonian dialect of Akkadian and is arranged in a regular and repetitive style. The text is written in cuneiform on a basalt stele, which was rediscovered in 1901 at the site of Susa in present-day Iran. The stele features an image of Hammurabi with Shamash, the Babylonian sun god and god of justice, and contains around 4,130 lines of text, with a prologue and epilogue written in poetic style.
Hammurabi was the sixth king of the Amorite First Dynasty of Babylon, ruling from 1792 to 1750 BC. He inherited a small territory from his father, Sin-Muballit, and expanded his kingdom through military campaigns, diplomacy, and treachery. Hammurabi was interested in law and justice, and his code was created to establish order in Babylon, which was a diverse cosmopolitan centre. The code had to transcend traditional law practices and national legal traditions due to the varied backgrounds of Babylon's population.
The Code of Hammurabi is well known for its principle of "an eye for an eye," which represents a harsh sense of justice based on revenge. However, the code is more complex than this phrase suggests, as it distinguishes between different social classes and includes protections for widows, orphans, and others vulnerable to harm or exploitation. The code outlines rules for various topics, including assault, witness testimony, accusations, theft, property destruction, trade, and business. It also includes the concept of the presumption of innocence, with punishments prescribed for unsubstantiated accusations.
The Code of Hammurabi was not the oldest set of laws written, as several earlier collections have been discovered. The Code of Ur-Nammu, for example, dates to around 2100-2050 BCE and is considered the oldest extant law code in the world. However, Hammurabi's Code was the first Mesopotamian law collection to be discovered in modern times, leading to its initial reputation as the earliest code of laws.
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Frequently asked questions
The Code of Ur-Nammu is the oldest known surviving law code, written c. 2100–2050 BC.
The Code of Ur-Nammu was written by the Sumerian king Ur-Nammu or possibly by his son, Shulgi of Ur.
The Code of Ur-Nammu was discovered in Iraq in 1948. Fragments of the code were found at Nippur and were translated by Samuel Noah Kramer in 1952.
The Code of Ur-Nammu was written on clay tablets in the Sumerian language.
