What was the Code of Hammurabi? The law code stele of Hammurabi was carved into a single block of black diorite, which was over two metres in height and written in Akkadian cuneiform. A carving at the top showed the Babylonian king standing before Shamash, the Babylonian god of justice, who hands him a rod and ring as symbols of rulership.
Hammurabi’s Code is the most complete extant collection of Babylonian laws. It consists of Hammurabi’s legal decisions that were collected toward the end of his reign. These 282 case laws include economic provisions (prices, tariffs, trade, and commerce) as well as family law (marriage and divorce), criminal law (assault and theft), and civil law (slavery and debt).
Hammurabi (r. 1792-1750 BCE) was the sixth king of the Amorite First Dynasty of Babylon best known for his famous law code which served as the model for others, including the Mosaic Law of the Bible...
The Code of Hammurabi was one of the earliest and most complete written legal codes and was proclaimed by the Babylonian king Hammurabi, who reigned from 1792 to 1750 B.C. Hammurabi expanded the ...
Hammurabi: a powerful ruler and upholder of justice The scene in relief at the top of the stela depicts Hammurabi standing before the sun god Shamash. Shamash is easily identified by the flames that burst forth from his shoulders, and by the footrest that symbolises the mountains over which he rises each morning. The sun god, who is also the patron of justice, presents the king with the ...
The ancient king of Babylon compiled a code of laws called Hammurabi's Code that applied to all lands under his rule.