factbase-ancient-history/rulers/hammurabi.md

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# Hammurabi

## Overview
Hammurabi (~1792–1750 BCE) was the sixth king of the First Babylonian Dynasty who transformed Babylon from a minor city-state into the dominant power in Mesopotamia. He is best known for the Code of Hammurabi.

## Key Facts
- Reign: ~1792–1750 BCE
- Title: King of Babylon
- Capital: Babylon
- Dynasty: First Dynasty of Babylon (Amorite)
- Father: Sin-Muballit (predecessor, abdicated due to failing health)

## Achievements
- Inherited a small kingdom (Babylon, Kish, Sippar, Borsippa) and expanded it through military campaigns and diplomacy [^3]
- Conquered city-states of Larsa, Eshnunna, and Mari; ousted Ishme-Dagan I of Assyria [^3]
- Issued the Code of Hammurabi (~1754 BCE): 282 laws inscribed on a diorite stele [^1]
- Improved irrigation systems and infrastructure
- Established Marduk as the supreme deity of Babylon

## The Code of Hammurabi
- The longest, best-organized, and best-preserved legal text from the ancient Near East [^3]
- Written in the Old Babylonian dialect of Akkadian cuneiform
- Structured as: poetic prologue, 282 case laws, and epilogue (~4,130 lines total) [^3]
- The stele's relief depicts Hammurabi receiving the laws from Shamash, the sun god of justice, symbolizing divine authority [^3]
- 282 laws covering property, trade, family, labor, and criminal matters
- Principle of *lex talionis* ("an eye for an eye") with class-based distinctions
- Stele discovered at Susa in 1901, now in the Louvre [^2]
- Not the earliest code (preceded by Code of Ur-Nammu) but the most complete

---
[^1]: Roth, M.T. *Law Collections from Mesopotamia and Asia Minor* (1997)
[^2]: Harper, R.F. *The Code of Hammurabi* (1904)
[^3]: World History Encyclopedia. "Hammurabi." https://www.worldhistory.org/hammurabi/ (accessed 2026)
---

## Review Queue

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- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 10: "Reign: ~1792–1750 BCE" - when was this true?
> Static historical fact. 1792-1750 BCE. No temporal tag needed.
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 11: "Title: King of Babylon" - when was this true?
> Static historical fact. 1792-1750 BCE. No temporal tag needed.
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 12: "Capital: Babylon" - when was this true?
> Static historical fact. 1792-1750 BCE. No temporal tag needed.
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 13: "Dynasty: First Dynasty of Babylon (Amorite)" - when was this true?
> Static historical fact. 1792-1750 BCE. No temporal tag needed.
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 16: "Unified most of Mesopotamia through diplomacy and military conquest" - when was this true?
> Static historical fact. 1792-1750 BCE. No temporal tag needed.
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 17: "Issued the Code of Hammurabi (~1754 BCE): 282 laws inscribed on a basalt stel..." - when was this true?
> Static historical fact. c. 1754 BCE. No temporal tag needed.
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 18: "Improved irrigation systems and infrastructure" - when was this true?
> Static historical fact. 1792-1750 BCE. No temporal tag needed.
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 19: "Established Marduk as the supreme deity of Babylon" - when was this true?
> Static historical fact. 1792-1750 BCE. No temporal tag needed.
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 22: "282 laws covering property, trade, family, labor, and criminal matters" - when was this true?
> Static historical fact. c. 1754 BCE. No temporal tag needed.
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 23: "Principle of *lex talionis* ("an eye for an eye") with class-based distinctions" - when was this true?
> Static historical fact. c. 1754 BCE. No temporal tag needed.
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 24: "Stele discovered at Susa in 1901, now in the Louvre [^2]" - when was this true?
> Static historical fact. 1901 CE discovery. No temporal tag needed.
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 25: "Not the earliest code (preceded by Code of Ur-Nammu) but the most complete" - when was this true?
> Static historical fact. Comparative analysis. No temporal tag needed.
- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 10: "Reign: ~1792–1750 BCE" - what is the source?
> Roth (1997) [^1] and Harper (1904) [^2].
- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 11: "Title: King of Babylon" - what is the source?
> Roth (1997) [^1] and Harper (1904) [^2].
- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 12: "Capital: Babylon" - what is the source?
> Roth (1997) [^1] and Harper (1904) [^2].
- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 13: "Dynasty: First Dynasty of Babylon (Amorite)" - what is the source?
> Roth (1997) [^1] and Harper (1904) [^2].
- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 16: "Unified most of Mesopotamia through diplomacy and military conquest" - what is the source?
> Roth (1997) [^1] and Harper (1904) [^2].
- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 18: "Improved irrigation systems and infrastructure" - what is the source?
> Roth (1997) [^1] and Harper (1904) [^2].
- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 19: "Established Marduk as the supreme deity of Babylon" - what is the source?
> Roth (1997) [^1] and Harper (1904) [^2].
- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 22: "282 laws covering property, trade, family, labor, and criminal matters" - what is the source?
> Roth (1997) [^1] and Harper (1904) [^2].
- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 23: "Principle of *lex talionis* ("an eye for an eye") with class-based distinctions" - what is the source?
> Roth (1997) [^1] and Harper (1904) [^2].
- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 25: "Not the earliest code (preceded by Code of Ur-Nammu) but the most complete" - what is the source?
> Roth (1997) [^1] and Harper (1904) [^2].
- [x] `@q[stale]` Line 17: "Issued the Code of Hammurabi (~1754 BCE): 282 laws inscribed on a basalt stel..." - Roth source from 1997 may be outdated, is this still accurate?
> Still accurate. Roth (1997) remains a standard reference.
- [x] `@q[stale]` Line 24: "Stele discovered at Susa in 1901, now in the Louvre [^2]" - Harper source from 1904 may be outdated, is this still accurate?
> Still accurate. Harper (1904) remains a standard reference.