Kara Sears
The Code of Ur-Nammu, written c. 2100–2050 BC, is the oldest known surviving law code. It is from Mesopotamia and is written on clay tablets in the Sumerian language. The code contains strong statements of royal power, such as I eliminated enmity, violence, and cries for justice. The Code of Hammurabi, written by Hammurabi, the sixth king of the First Dynasty of Babylon, is also one of the earliest and most complete written legal codes. It was proclaimed by the Babylonian king Hammurabi, who reigned from 1792 to 1750 BC. Hammurabi's Code is the first Mesopotamian law collection to be discovered, but it was not the first written, as several earlier collections survive. The Code of Ur-Nammu and the laws of the Biblical Israelites' Ten Commandments are among the earlier written laws. In 1639, the Puritans in Connecticut drafted the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut, the first complete written constitution in the world.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Name of the code | Code of Ur-Nammu |
| Author | Ur-Nammu, king of Ur, Sumer and Akkad |
| Date of writing | c. 2100–2050 BC |
| Language | Sumerian |
| Medium | Clay tablets |
| Number of laws | 57 |
| Topics covered | Family law, property law, loan and hire agreements, standards on charges and wages, etc. |
| Other | The first recension of the code was translated by Samuel Noah Kramer in 1952 |
| Name of the code | Code of Hammurabi |
| Author | Hammurabi, sixth king of the First Dynasty of Babylon |
| Date of writing | c. 1792–1750 BC |
| Language | Old Babylonian dialect of Akkadian |
| Medium | Basalt stele |
| Number of laws | 282 |
| Topics covered | Family law, professional contracts, administrative law, commercial interactions, etc. |
| Other | Rediscovered in 1901; considered one of the earliest and most complete written legal codes |
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What You'll Learn
- The Code of Ur-Nammu is the oldest known surviving law code
- Ur-Nammu is regarded as the first lawgiver
- The Code of Hammurabi is one of the earliest and most complete written legal codes
- The Code of Hammurabi is the longest, best-preserved legal text from the ancient Near East
- The Puritans in Connecticut drafted the first complete written constitution in 1639
The Code of Ur-Nammu is the oldest known surviving law code
The Code of Ur-Nammu consists of 57 laws, 30 of which have been reconstructed. The tablets were first translated in 1952 by Samuel Noah Kramer, who noted that only the prologue and five of the laws were discernible. The laws are arranged in a casuistic form of 'if (crime), then (punishment)', a pattern followed in nearly all subsequent codes. The code reveals a glimpse of Sumerian society during the ''Sumerian Renaissance', with the king, or 'lu-gal', at the top, followed by two basic strata: the 'lu' or free person, and the slave.
The prologue invokes the deities for Ur-Nammu's kingship, Nanna and Utu, and decrees "equity in the land". Ur-Nammu established himself as a mighty warrior, king of Ur, king of Sumer and Akkad, and banished malediction, violence, and strife. He also standardised weights and measures, including the one-mina weight and the stone weight of a shekel of silver in relation to one mina.
The Code of Ur-Nammu includes laws relating to marriage, divorce, slavery, and accusations of sorcery and adultery. For example, if a man slept with another man's wife, the woman would be slain, but the man would be set free. If a man deflowered another man's virgin female slave, he must pay five shekels of silver. If a man divorces his first-time wife, he must pay her one mina of silver, but if he divorces a widow, he must pay half a mina.
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Ur-Nammu is regarded as the first lawgiver
The Code of Ur-Nammu is the oldest known surviving law code, written in Mesopotamia on clay tablets in the Sumerian language c. 2100–2050 BC. It is attributed to King Ur-Nammu of Ur (r. 2047–2030 BCE) or his son Shulgi of Ur (r. 2029–1982 BCE). The code is centuries older than the famous Code of Hammurabi, which was inscribed by the Babylonian king Hammurabi (r. 1795–1750 BCE). Ur-Nammu is regarded as the first lawgiver, and his code represents the earliest extant legal text.
The Code of Ur-Nammu is significant because it presents a glimpse into the societal structure and legal system of ancient Mesopotamia. The laws were written in the casuistic form of "if (crime), then (punishment)", a pattern that was followed in many subsequent legal codes. The code covers a wide range of topics, including property disputes, marital rights, criminal offenses, and agricultural regulations. Notably, it emphasizes fairness and proportionality in punishment, prescribing monetary compensation for crimes rather than the harsh "eye for an eye" justice that came later. This approach helped to break the cycle of violence and promoted a more stable and prosperous society.
The prologue of the Code of Ur-Nammu, typical of Mesopotamian law codes, invokes the deities Nanna and Utu for Ur-Nammu's kingship and decrees "equity in the land". It details how the moon god Nanna selected Ur-Nammu as King of Ur and provided him with laws to ensure equity and justice for all subjects, regardless of social status. Ur-Nammu is described as a mighty warrior and a king who banished violence and strife, presenting himself as the father of his people and encouraging his subjects to think of themselves as one family.
While the Code of Ur-Nammu is incomplete, with only fragments of tablets surviving, these fragments provide valuable insights into the king's vision of law and order in his lands. The discovery and translation of these fragments by Samuel Noah Kramer in 1952 have allowed scholars to understand the structure and content of the code, including the specific laws and the societal context in which they were created. Ur-Nammu's legacy continues to be remembered and celebrated as the first lawgiver, with his code of laws serving as a foundation for the development of legal systems around the world.
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The Code of Hammurabi is one of the earliest and most complete written legal codes
The primary copy of the text is inscribed on a basalt stele that is 2.25 metres (7 feet 4+1⁄2 inches) tall. The stele was rediscovered in 1901 at the site of Susa in present-day Iran, where it had been taken as plunder six hundred years after its creation. The text was copied and studied by Mesopotamian scribes for over a millennium. The stele now resides in the Louvre Museum in Paris, with replicas in several other institutions, including the headquarters of the United Nations in New York City and the Pergamon Museum in Berlin.
Hammurabi's Code is considered one of the most thorough and well-preserved sets of laws from ancient history. It is written in the Old Babylonian dialect of Akkadian and is the longest, best-organized, and best-preserved legal text from the ancient Near East. The code provides some of the earliest examples of the doctrine of "lex talionis", or the laws of retribution, better known as "an eye for an eye". While the code includes harsh punishments, it is also one of the earliest examples of an accused person being considered innocent until proven guilty.
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The Code of Hammurabi is the longest, best-preserved legal text from the ancient Near East
The Code of Hammurabi is a Babylonian legal text composed during 1755–1750 BC. It is the longest, best-preserved, and best-organized legal text from the ancient Near East. The text is purportedly written by Hammurabi, the sixth king of the First Dynasty of Babylon, in the Old Babylonian dialect of Akkadian. The first copy of the text, which is also the most complete, is inscribed on a 2.25-meter-tall basalt stele. The stele was rediscovered in 1901 at the site of Susa in present-day Iran, where it had been taken as plunder six hundred years after its creation. The stele now resides in the Louvre Museum.
The stele features an image in relief of Hammurabi with Shamash, the Babylonian sun god, and god of justice. Below the relief are about 4,130 lines of cuneiform text. One-fifth of the text contains a prologue and epilogue in poetic style, while the remaining four-fifths contain the laws. The 300-line prologue begins with an etiology of Hammurabi's royal authority, asserting that he was chosen by the gods. The laws are written in a casuistic format and are expressed in a regular and repetitive style. They are written in the if-then form, with the case detailed in the "if" clause and the remedy given in the "then" clause.
The Code of Hammurabi includes 282 edicts or rules, ranging from family law to professional contracts and administrative law. The edicts outline different standards of justice for the three classes of Babylonian society—the propertied class, freedmen, and slaves. For example, a doctor's fee for curing a severe wound would be 10 silver shekels for a gentleman, five shekels for a freedman, and two shekels for a slave. Penalties for malpractice followed the same scheme, with harsh punishments for offenders, such as the removal of the guilty party's tongue, hands, breasts, eye, or ear. However, the code also includes the principle that an accused person is considered innocent until proven guilty.
The Code of Hammurabi is one of the earliest and most complete written legal codes. It is considered a pioneering work in law, demonstrating Hammurabi's concern for justice and the welfare of his subjects. The code established standards for commercial interactions and set fines and punishments to meet the requirements of justice. Hammurabi's Code also provides insight into the use of law to reinforce social hierarchies and maintain control, with nobles receiving greater protection than commoners and enslaved people.
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The Puritans in Connecticut drafted the first complete written constitution in 1639
The Code of Ur-Nammu is the oldest known surviving law code, from Mesopotamia, written in the Sumerian language c. 2100–2050 BC. However, the Puritans in Connecticut drafted the first complete written constitution in 1639.
The Puritans from the Massachusetts Bay Colony founded Connecticut between 1635 and 1636. They founded three towns on the Connecticut River: Windsor, Wethersfield, and Hartford. The main purpose of the Fundamental Orders was to formalize the relationship among these settlements.
Influenced by a sermon delivered by Puritan Rev. Thomas Hooker, who argued in favour of popular sovereignty and consent of the governed, the Puritans created a democratic self-government in their colony. The constitution was drafted by Roger Ludlow of Windsor, the only trained lawyer in the colony, with possible assistance from Hartford residents John Haynes, a former Governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, Edward Hopkins, and John Steel.
The document, consisting of a preamble and 11 orders or laws, became the cornerstone of government in Connecticut soon after its adoption on 14 January 1639. It was also the first complete self-government by the people, with the colony electing its own governor and appointing its own judges.
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Frequently asked questions
The first complete set of laws was the Code of Ur-Nammu, written c. 2100–2050 BC. Ur-Nammu was king of Ur, king of Sumer and Akkad.
The Code of Ur-Nammu is the oldest known surviving law code, written on tablets in the Sumerian language. It contains strong statements of royal power, such as "I eliminated enmity, violence, and cries for justice". It also includes laws such as "If a man divorces his first-time wife, he shall pay (her) one mina of silver".
Yes, the Code of Hammurabi, proclaimed by the Babylonian king Hammurabi, is one of the earliest and most complete written legal codes. It was compiled at the end of Hammurabi's reign, which lasted from 1792 to 1750 BC. The Code of Hammurabi was carved onto a massive, finger-shaped black stone stele (pillar) and includes 282 rules, such as "If a man steals an ox, then he must pay back 30 times its value".
