Cecily Zamora
Mesopotamia is often associated with the Code of Hammurabi, a set of laws established by Hammurabi, the first king of Babylon, who conquered all of Mesopotamia and created the first Babylonian Empire. The Code of Hammurabi is one of the oldest recorded codes of laws in the world, but it was not the first Mesopotamian law collection. Several earlier collections survive, written in Sumerian and Akkadian, and there were almost certainly more. These laws were created to reflect the social, political, and economic development of Mesopotamian civilization, and they covered a wide range of topics, including family relationships, contracts, inheritances, crimes, and punishments.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Purpose | To outline laws and establish a sense of justice |
| Rule of law | Equal accountability, regardless of status or income |
| Legal process | Focus on explaining individual cases, without abstract formulas |
| Format | Prologue, articles, and epilogue |
| Language | Akkadian, Sumerian, Cuneiform |
| Content | Family relationships, contracts, inheritances, crimes, and punishments |
| Severity of punishment | Equal to the crime, e.g., an eye for an eye |
| Influence | Influenced by custom, judicial decisions, or deliberate legislation |
| Scope | Applicable to a wide range of inhabitants in the ancient Middle East |
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What You'll Learn
To establish a sense of justice
Mesopotamia has the most comprehensive surviving legal corpus from before the Digest of Justinian, even when compared to ancient Greece and Rome. The first copy of the text found, and still the most complete, is on a 2.25-metre-tall stele. The stele is now displayed on the ground floor of the Louvre, in Room 227 of the Richelieu wing.
The Code of Hammurabi is one of the oldest and longest deciphered writings in existence. It is the first known Mesopotamian law collection, written in Sumerian and Akkadian, and was compiled near the end of Hammurabi's reign. Hammurabi was the first king of Babylon and was responsible for conquering Mesopotamia and creating the first Babylonian Empire. He was known for his fair laws and style of ruling.
The Code of Hammurabi includes a wide range of statutes covering everything from family relationships to contracts, inheritances, crimes, and punishments. Hammurabi wanted his people to obey his laws out of respect, not fear. He managed his court by clearly outlining the laws so that all of the people knew them. Every law had a clear punishment, and penalties were carried out consistently. For example, violent crimes often had penalties that matched the crime; if you cut someone's hand off, your hand would also be cut off.
The prologue to the code describes how the god Shamash gave the laws to Hammurabi:
> Bring about the rule of righteousness in the land, to destroy the wicked and the evil-doers; so that the strong should not harm the weak, so that I should rule …. and enlighten the land, to further the well-being of mankind.
In the epilogue, Hammurabi restates his desire for justice for all:
> Let the oppressed man come and stand before my image as king of righteousness. Let him understand my words and his case, so he will understand what is just and his heart will be glad.
The Code of Hammurabi was not the only law code from Mesopotamia. The Code of Ur-Nammu, created by Ur-Nammu of Ur in the 21st century BC, is the oldest known code of law, which has only been partly preserved. The laws were inscribed on a clay tablet in the Sumerian language and arranged in a casuistic form—a pattern in which a crime is followed by punishment. Other law codes include the Code of Lipit-Ishtar, the Laws of Eshnunna, and the Hittite Law Code.
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To record laws for prosperity
Mesopotamia has the most comprehensive surviving legal corpus from before the Digest of Justinian, even compared to those from ancient Greece and Rome. The first copy of the text found, and still the most complete, is on a 2.25-metre (7-foot 4-and-a-half-inch) stele. The stele is now displayed on the ground floor of the Louvre, in Room 227 of the Richelieu wing. At the top is an image of Hammurabi with Shamash, the Babylonian sun god and god of justice and salvation. Below the image are about 4,130 lines of cuneiform text: one-fifth contains a prologue and epilogue, while the remaining four-fifths contain what are generally called the laws.
The Code of Hammurabi is one of the oldest and longest deciphered writings in existence. The code was written using cuneiform script and the Akkadian language. It is one of the oldest recorded codes of laws in the world. One of the best surviving examples of the code is written on the "diorite stele". The top of the diorite stele by Unknown Diorite Stele is a large stone shaped like a giant finger. It contains around 4,000 lines of text describing 282 different laws.
The Code of Hammurabi was not the first Mesopotamian law collection to be discovered, but it was the first written; several earlier collections survive. These collections were written in Sumerian and Akkadian. They also purport to have been written by rulers. There were almost certainly more such collections, as statements of other rulers suggest the custom was widespread. The similarities between these law collections make it tempting to assume a consistent underlying legal system.
The Code of Ur-Nammu, created by Ur-Nammu of Ur in the 21st century BC, is the oldest known code of law, which is only partly preserved. The laws were inscribed on a clay tablet in Sumerian and arranged in casuistic form, a pattern in which a crime is followed by punishment, which was also the basis of nearly all later codes of law, including the Code of Hammurabi. The Hittite Law Code, dating from about the 14th century BC, reflects the Hittites' closed rural economy and feudal aristocracy. Hittite cuneiform tablets from the 14th century BC found at Hattusa also include a number of Hittite laws that foresee less severe penalties than the Babylonian code of laws.
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To establish a fair society
Mesopotamia is known for having the most comprehensive surviving legal corpus from before the Digest of Justinian, even compared to those from ancient Greece and Rome. The first copy of the text found, and still the most complete, is on a 2.25-metre-tall stele. The stele is now displayed on the ground floor of the Louvre, in Room 227 of the Richelieu wing.
The Code of Hammurabi, inscribed on the stele, is one of the oldest recorded codes of laws in the world. It was compiled near the end of Hammurabi's reign, who was the first king of Babylon and the ruler responsible for conquering Mesopotamia and creating the first Babylonian Empire. Hammurabi is known for his fair laws and style of ruling. He wanted his people to obey his laws out of respect, not fear. He managed his court by clearly outlining the laws so that all of the people knew them.
The Code of Hammurabi includes a wide range of statutes covering everything from family relationships to contracts, inheritances, crimes, and punishments. For example, violent crimes often had penalties that matched the crime; if you cut someone's hand off, your hand would also be cut off. The king enforced his laws by holding everyone accountable equally, without regard for status or income. Every law had a clear punishment, and penalties were carried out consistently. The prologue to the code describes how the god Shamash gave the laws to Hammurabi:
> Bring about the rule of righteousness in the land, to destroy the wicked and the evil-doers; so that the strong should not harm the weak, so that I should rule …. and enlighten the land, to further the well-being of mankind.
In the epilogue, Hammurabi restates his desire for justice for all:
> Let the oppressed man come and stand before my image as king of righteousness. Let him understand my words and his case, so he will understand what is just and his heart will be glad.
The Code of Hammurabi was not the first Mesopotamian law collection to be discovered, but it was the first written. Several earlier collections survive, written in Sumerian and Akkadian, and they purport to have been written by rulers. There were almost certainly more such collections, as statements of other rulers suggest the custom was widespread. The oldest example of a legal code is attributed to Urukagna, who ruled the Sumerian city-state of Lagash in the 24th century BC, although the actual text has never been discovered. The Code of Ur-Nammu, created by Ur-Nammu of Ur in the 21st century BC, is the oldest known code of law that has been partly preserved. The laws were inscribed on a clay tablet in the Sumerian language and arranged in a casuistic form—a pattern in which a crime is followed by punishment.
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$28.92
To establish a legal framework for future generations
Mesopotamia is known for having the most comprehensive surviving legal corpus from before the Digest of Justinian, even when compared to ancient Greece and Rome. The first copy of the text found, and still the most complete, is on a 2.25-metre-tall stele. The stele is now displayed on the ground floor of the Louvre, in Room 227 of the Richelieu wing.
The Code of Hammurabi, inscribed on the stele, is one of the oldest recorded codes of laws in the world. It was compiled near the end of Hammurabi's reign, and it includes a wide range of statutes covering everything from family relationships to contracts, inheritances, crimes, and punishments. Hammurabi was known for his fair laws and style of ruling. He wanted his people to obey his laws out of respect, not fear. To that end, he ensured that his laws were clearly outlined so that all of the people knew them. Every law had a clear punishment, and penalties were carried out consistently.
The Code of Hammurabi was not the first Mesopotamian law collection to be discovered, but it was the first written collection. Several earlier collections survive, written in Sumerian and Akkadian, and they purport to have been written by rulers. There were almost certainly more such collections, as statements of other rulers suggest the custom was widespread. The similarities between these law collections suggest a consistent underlying legal system.
The Code of Ur-Nammu, created by Ur-Nammu of Ur in the 21st century BC, is the oldest-known code of law, preserved on a clay tablet in Sumerian. The laws were arranged in casuistic form, a pattern in which a crime is followed by punishment, which was also the basis of nearly all later codes of law, including the Code of Hammurabi. The Code of Lipit-Ishtar of Isin, the Laws of Eshnunna, and the "Laws of X" are other examples of surviving early law collections.
The various collections of cuneiform laws developed by several nations and kingdoms have certain features in common. For example, the text of several collections contains a prologue and an epilogue in which the prince emphasizes the importance of his actions, explains the object of his work, and commands its observance. Although written as if inspired by the gods, the legislation is secular, composed of dispositions fixed and codified by the temporal lord.
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To establish a set of rules for citizens to follow
Laws were created in Mesopotamia to establish a set of rules for citizens to follow. The Code of Hammurabi, created by King Hammurabi, the first king and ruler of Babylon, is one of the oldest recorded codes of laws in the world. Hammurabi was known for his fair laws and style of ruling. He wanted his people to obey his laws out of respect, not fear, and managed to do so by clearly outlining the laws so that all citizens knew them. The code includes a wide range of statutes covering everything from family relationships to contracts, inheritances, crimes, and punishments. For instance, violent crimes often had penalties that matched the crime; if someone cut off another person's hand, their hand would also be cut off.
The Code of Hammurabi was written on clay tablets and etched in stone. It is written using cuneiform script and the Akkadian language. The laws were also inscribed on a 7-foot 4-inch (2.25-meter) tall diorite stele, a large stone shaped like a giant finger, which was discovered in the ancient city of Susa and is now displayed at the Louvre Museum in Paris, France. The stele features a carved picture of King Hammurabi receiving the laws from Shamash, the Babylonian god of law, justice, and salvation.
While the Code of Hammurabi is the most well-known collection of laws from Mesopotamia, it was not the first to be written. Several earlier collections, such as the Code of Ur-Nammu, the Code of Lipit-Ishtar, and the Laws of Eshnunna, were written in Sumerian and Akkadian and also purport to have been authored by rulers. These collections of laws share similarities with the Code of Hammurabi, suggesting a consistent underlying legal system in Mesopotamia.
The laws of Mesopotamia were frequently recorded and included contracts, judicial rulings, letters on legal cases, and reform documents. They reveal the level of social, political, economic, and legal development of Mesopotamian civilization. The Hittite Law Code, for example, reflects the Hittites' closed rural economy and feudal aristocracy, while the Laws of Eshnunna from the Sumerian Period are the oldest written laws, though the text has not been discovered.
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Frequently asked questions
The Code of Hammurabi is a set of laws established by Hammurabi, the first king of Babylon and the ruler responsible for conquering Mesopotamia and creating the first Babylonian Empire. The code is one of the oldest recorded codes of laws in the world and includes a wide range of statutes covering everything from family relationships to contracts, inheritances, crimes and punishments.
Hammurabi wanted his people to obey his laws out of respect, not fear. To achieve this, he managed his court by clearly outlining the laws so that all of the people knew them. Every law had a clear punishment, and penalties were carried out consistently.
The Code of Hammurabi was written on clay tablets and etched into stone. The most complete copy of the text found so far is on a 2.25-metre-tall stele, now displayed in the Louvre in Paris, France.
The Code of Hammurabi reveals the level of social, political, economic and legal development of the Mesopotamian civilisation. The laws were inspired by the gods but were ultimately secular, composed of dispositions fixed and codified by Hammurabi.
The Code of Hammurabi was the first Mesopotamian law collection to be discovered, but it was not the first written. Other surviving collections include the Code of Ur-Nammu of Ur, the Code of Lipit-Ishtar of Isin, and the Laws of Eshnunna.
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