Stele of Hammurabi, also known as 'Code of Hammurabi', a remarkable Babylonian legal text artifact (1792-1750 BC). It is longest, best-organised and best-preserved legal text from ancient Near East. It is written in Old Babylonian dialect of Akkadian, purportedly by Hammurabi, 6th king of First Dynasty of Babylon (1894-1595 BC), Central Mesopotamia. Primary copy of text is inscribed on a basalt stele 2.25m tall.
It was rediscovered in 1901 CE, at site of Susa in modern-day Iran, where it had been taken as plunder 600 years after its creation. Text itself was copied and studied by Mesopotamian scribes for over a Millennium. This basalt stele also features a relief sculpture at top, depicting Hammurabi receiving the law symbolized by a measuring rod and tape from the seated Shamash, the Babylonian god of justice. The rest of the 7ft 5 inch monument is covered with columns of chiseled cuneiform script, provide detailed inscription of Babylonian laws and regulations. It was commissioned by King Hammurabi of Babylon, one of most influential rulers of ancient Mesopotamia, as a means of codifying and displaying his laws to his people. The text, compiled at the end of Hammurabi’s reign, is less a proclamation of principles than a collection of legal precedents, set between prose celebrating Hammurabi’s just and pious rule. Hammurabi’s Code provides some of the earliest examples of the doctrine of “lex talionis,” or the laws of retribution, sometimes better known as “an eye for an eye.” The Code of Hammurabi includes many harsh punishments, sometimes demanding the removal of the guilty party’s tongue, hands, breasts, eye or ear. But the code is also one of the earliest examples of an accused person being considered innocent until proven guilty.
The stele is primarily known for its inscription of 282 laws that governed various aspects of Babylonian society, including matters of commerce, property, family, and criminal justice. These 282 complex rules handed down by King Hammurabi of Babylon. You may have heard phrase “eye for an eye” quoted from it, but that penalty depended on your status and rank of person you injured. These laws are written in Akkadian cuneiform script and provide valuable insights into the social and legal norms of the time. The 282 edicts are all written in if-then form. For example, if a man steals an ox, then he must pay back 30 times its value. The edicts range from family law to professional contracts and administrative law, often outlining different standards of justice for the three classes of Babylonian society; the propertied class, freedmen and slaves. 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: a doctor who killed a rich patient would have his hands cut off, while only financial restitution was required if the victim was a slave. Code of Hammurabi is often regarded as one of the earliest known legal codes in human history, reflecting the importance of legal and social order in ancient Mesopotamia.
Today, the Stele of Hammurabi serves not only as a legal document but also as a historical and cultural artifact. It includes a prologue that highlights Hammurabi’s role as a just and wise ruler, chosen by the gods to bring order and justice to his kingdom.
Louvre Museum
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