# Code of Hammurabi # Code of Hammurabi ## Overview The Code of Hammurabi (~1754 BCE) is one of the most complete and well-known ancient legal codes, inscribed on a basalt stele and containing 282 laws governing Babylonian society. ## Key Facts - Date: ~1754 BCE - Issuer: Hammurabi, King of Babylon - Language: Akkadian (Babylonian dialect) - Medium: Basalt stele, 2.25 m tall - Current location: Louvre Museum, Paris (discovered at Susa, 1901) ## Structure - Prologue: Hammurabi as divinely appointed shepherd of his people - 282 laws organized by topic - Epilogue: Blessings for those who uphold the laws, curses for those who deface the stele [^1] ## Legal Principles - *Lex talionis*: "An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth" (with class-based modifications) - Three social classes: *awilum* (free), *mushkenum* (dependent), *wardum* (slave) - Covers: Property, trade, family law, labor, personal injury, agriculture - Presumption of innocence in some cases; trial by ordeal in others [^2] ## Significance - Not the earliest code (preceded by Code of Ur-Nammu) but the most complete - Provides detailed picture of Old Babylonian society - Influenced later Near Eastern legal traditions --- [^1]: Roth, M.T. *Law Collections from Mesopotamia and Asia Minor* (1997) [^2]: Driver, G.R. & Miles, J.C. *The Babylonian Laws* (Oxford, 1952–1955) --- ## Review Queue - [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 10: "Date: ~1754 BCE" - when was this true? > Static historical fact. No temporal tag needed. - [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 11: "Issuer: Hammurabi, King of Babylon" - when was this true? > Static historical fact. No temporal tag needed. - [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 12: "Language: Akkadian (Babylonian dialect)" - when was this true? > Static historical fact. No temporal tag needed. - [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 13: "Medium: Basalt stele, 2.25 m tall" - when was this true? > Static historical fact. No temporal tag needed. - [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 14: "Current location: Louvre Museum, Paris (discovered at Susa, 1901)" - when was this true? > Static historical fact. No temporal tag needed. - [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 17: "Prologue: Hammurabi as divinely appointed shepherd of his people" - when was this true? > Static historical fact. No temporal tag needed. - [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 18: "282 laws organized by topic" - when was this true? > Static historical fact. No temporal tag needed. - [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 19: "Epilogue: Blessings for those who uphold the laws, curses for those who defac..." - when was this true? > Static historical fact. No temporal tag needed. - [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 22: "*Lex talionis*: "An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth" (with class-based mo..." - when was this true? > Static historical fact. No temporal tag needed. - [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 23: "Three social classes: *awilum* (free), *mushkenum* (dependent), *wardum* (slave)" - when was this true? > Static historical fact. No temporal tag needed. - [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 24: "Covers: Property, trade, family law, labor, personal injury, agriculture" - when was this true? > Static historical fact. No temporal tag needed. - [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 25: "Presumption of innocence in some cases; trial by ordeal in others [^2]" - when was this true? > Static historical fact. No temporal tag needed. - [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 28: "Not the earliest code (preceded by Code of Ur-Nammu) but the most complete" - when was this true? > Static historical fact. No temporal tag needed. - [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 29: "Provides detailed picture of Old Babylonian society" - when was this true? > Static historical fact. No temporal tag needed. - [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 30: "Influenced later Near Eastern legal traditions" - when was this true? > Static historical fact. No temporal tag needed. - [x] `@q[missing]` Line 10: "Date: ~1754 BCE" - what is the source? > Roth (1997) [^1], Driver & Miles (1952-1955) [^2] - [x] `@q[missing]` Line 11: "Issuer: Hammurabi, King of Babylon" - what is the source? > Roth (1997) [^1], Driver & Miles (1952-1955) [^2] - [x] `@q[missing]` Line 12: "Language: Akkadian (Babylonian dialect)" - what is the source? > Roth (1997) [^1], Driver & Miles (1952-1955) [^2] - [x] `@q[missing]` Line 13: "Medium: Basalt stele, 2.25 m tall" - what is the source? > Roth (1997) [^1], Driver & Miles (1952-1955) [^2] - [x] `@q[missing]` Line 14: "Current location: Louvre Museum, Paris (discovered at Susa, 1901)" - what is the source? > Roth (1997) [^1], Driver & Miles (1952-1955) [^2] - [x] `@q[missing]` Line 17: "Prologue: Hammurabi as divinely appointed shepherd of his people" - what is the source? > Roth (1997) [^1], Driver & Miles (1952-1955) [^2] - [x] `@q[missing]` Line 18: "282 laws organized by topic" - what is the source? > Roth (1997) [^1], Driver & Miles (1952-1955) [^2] - [x] `@q[missing]` Line 22: "*Lex talionis*: "An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth" (with class-based mo..." - what is the source? > Roth (1997) [^1], Driver & Miles (1952-1955) [^2] - [x] `@q[missing]` Line 23: "Three social classes: *awilum* (free), *mushkenum* (dependent), *wardum* (slave)" - what is the source? > Roth (1997) [^1], Driver & Miles (1952-1955) [^2] - [x] `@q[missing]` Line 24: "Covers: Property, trade, family law, labor, personal injury, agriculture" - what is the source? > Roth (1997) [^1], Driver & Miles (1952-1955) [^2] - [x] `@q[missing]` Line 28: "Not the earliest code (preceded by Code of Ur-Nammu) but the most complete" - what is the source? > Roth (1997) [^1], Driver & Miles (1952-1955) [^2] - [x] `@q[missing]` Line 29: "Provides detailed picture of Old Babylonian society" - what is the source? > Roth (1997) [^1], Driver & Miles (1952-1955) [^2] - [x] `@q[missing]` Line 30: "Influenced later Near Eastern legal traditions" - what is the source? > Roth (1997) [^1], Driver & Miles (1952-1955) [^2] - [x] `@q[stale]` Line 19: "Epilogue: Blessings for those who uphold the laws, curses for those who defac..." - Roth source from 1997 may be outdated, is this still accurate? > Scholarship remains current. Roth's work on ancient law codes is still authoritative. - [x] `@q[stale]` Line 25: "Presumption of innocence in some cases; trial by ordeal in others [^2]" - Driver source from 1952 may be outdated, is this still accurate? > Scholarship remains current. Driver & Miles' work on Babylonian law is still foundational.