7.3 KiB
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. @t[~1754 BCE]
Key Facts
- Date: ~1754 BCE (Wikipedia/Roth give range 1755–1751 BCE) @t[~1754 BCE]
- Issuer: Hammurabi, sixth king of the First Babylonian Dynasty
- Language: Akkadian (Old Babylonian dialect), written in cuneiform script
- Medium: Black basalt stele, 2.25 m tall (some older sources describe the material as diorite) 1
- Current location: Louvre Museum, Paris (discovered at Susa, Iran, 1901–1902) 1
- Weight: approximately 4 tons
Structure
- Prologue: Hammurabi as divinely appointed shepherd of his people; relief at top depicts Hammurabi receiving authority from Shamash, the sun god 2
- 282 laws organized by topic, written vertically in cuneiform
- Epilogue: Blessings for those who uphold the laws, curses for those who deface the stele 2
Legal Principles
- Lex talionis: "An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth" (with class-based modifications) 3
- 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 3
- Prescribed specific penalties for each crime; limited retribution to proportional response
Discovery and Transmission
- The stele was taken as plunder to Susa by the Elamite king Shutruk-Nahhunte around 1158 BCE, approximately 600 years after its creation
- Rediscovered by French archaeologists at Susa in 1901–1902
- The text was copied and studied by Mesopotamian scribes for over a millennium after its creation, attesting to its lasting authority 4
Significance
- Not the earliest code (preceded by Code of Ur-Nammu, ~2100–2050 BCE) but the longest, best-organized, and best-preserved legal text from the ancient Near East 4
- Provides detailed picture of Old Babylonian society
- Influenced later Near Eastern legal traditions; parallels noted with the Law of Moses in the Torah 4
- Continues to be studied for its influence on modern legal jurisprudence
Review Queue
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@q[temporal]Line 9: "Issuer: Hammurabi, sixth king of the First Babylonian Dynasty" - when was this true? -
@q[temporal]Line 10: "Language: Akkadian (Old Babylonian dialect), written in cuneiform script" - when was this true? -
@q[temporal]Line 11: "Medium: Black basalt stele, 2.25 m tall (some older sources describe the mate..." - when was this true? -
@q[temporal]Line 12: "Current location: Louvre Museum, Paris (discovered at Susa, Iran, 1901–1902..." - when was this true? -
@q[temporal]Line 13: "Weight: approximately 4 tons" - when was this true? -
@q[temporal]Line 16: "Prologue: Hammurabi as divinely appointed shepherd of his people; relief at t..." - when was this true? -
@q[temporal]Line 17: "282 laws organized by topic, written vertically in cuneiform" - when was this true? -
@q[temporal]Line 18: "Epilogue: Blessings for those who uphold the laws, curses for those who defac..." - when was this true? -
@q[temporal]Line 21: "Lex talionis: "An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth" (with class-based mo..." - when was this true? -
@q[temporal]Line 22: "Three social classes: awilum (free), mushkenum (dependent), wardum (slave)" - when was this true? -
@q[temporal]Line 23: "Covers: Property, trade, family law, labor, personal injury, agriculture" - when was this true? -
@q[temporal]Line 24: "Presumption of innocence in some cases; trial by ordeal in others 3 " - when was this true? -
@q[temporal]Line 25: "Prescribed specific penalties for each crime; limited retribution to proporti..." - when was this true? -
@q[temporal]Line 28: "The stele was taken as plunder to Susa by the Elamite king Shutruk-Nahhunte a..." - when was this true? -
@q[temporal]Line 29: "Rediscovered by French archaeologists at Susa in 1901–1902" - when was this true? -
@q[temporal]Line 30: "The text was copied and studied by Mesopotamian scribes for over a millennium..." - when was this true? -
@q[temporal]Line 33: "Not the earliest code (preceded by Code of Ur-Nammu, ~2100–2050 BCE) but th..." - when was this true? -
@q[temporal]Line 34: "Provides detailed picture of Old Babylonian society" - when was this true? -
@q[temporal]Line 35: "Influenced later Near Eastern legal traditions; parallels noted with the Law ..." - when was this true? -
@q[temporal]Line 36: "Continues to be studied for its influence on modern legal jurisprudence" - when was this true? -
@q[missing]Line 8: "Date: ~1754 BCE (Wikipedia/Roth give range 1755–1751 BCE) @t[~1754 BCE]" - what is the source? -
@q[missing]Line 9: "Issuer: Hammurabi, sixth king of the First Babylonian Dynasty" - what is the source? -
@q[missing]Line 10: "Language: Akkadian (Old Babylonian dialect), written in cuneiform script" - what is the source? -
@q[missing]Line 13: "Weight: approximately 4 tons" - what is the source? -
@q[missing]Line 17: "282 laws organized by topic, written vertically in cuneiform" - what is the source? -
@q[missing]Line 22: "Three social classes: awilum (free), mushkenum (dependent), wardum (slave)" - what is the source? -
@q[missing]Line 23: "Covers: Property, trade, family law, labor, personal injury, agriculture" - what is the source? -
@q[missing]Line 25: "Prescribed specific penalties for each crime; limited retribution to proporti..." - what is the source? -
@q[missing]Line 28: "The stele was taken as plunder to Susa by the Elamite king Shutruk-Nahhunte a..." - what is the source? -
@q[missing]Line 29: "Rediscovered by French archaeologists at Susa in 1901–1902" - what is the source? -
@q[missing]Line 34: "Provides detailed picture of Old Babylonian society" - what is the source? -
@q[missing]Line 36: "Continues to be studied for its influence on modern legal jurisprudence" - what is the source? -
@q[stale]Line 16: "Prologue: Hammurabi as divinely appointed shepherd of his people; relief at t..." - Roth source from 1997 may be outdated, is this still accurate? -
@q[stale]Line 18: "Epilogue: Blessings for those who uphold the laws, curses for those who defac..." - Roth source from 1997 may be outdated, is this still accurate? -
@q[stale]Line 21: "Lex talionis: "An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth" (with class-based mo..." - Driver source from 1952 may be outdated, is this still accurate? -
@q[stale]Line 24: "Presumption of innocence in some cases; trial by ordeal in others 3 " - Driver source from 1952 may be outdated, is this still accurate?