Code of Hammurabi

The Code of Hammurabi , on stele . The Code of Hammurabi ( Codex Hammurabi ) is a well-preserved ancient law code , created ca. 1790 BC ( middle chronology ) in ancient Babylon . It was enacted by the sixth Babylonian king, Hammurabi , and partial copies exist on a human-sized stone stele and various clay tablets. The Code consists of 282 laws, with scaled punishments, adjusting "an eye for an eye" as graded depending on social status, of slave versus free man. One nearly complete example of the Code survives today, on a diorite stele in the shape of a huge index finger , 2.25 m or 7.4 ft tall ( see images at right ). The Code is inscribed in the Akkadian language , of the common people, using cuneiform script carved into the stele (on display in the Louvre ).

The Code of Hammurabi is a well-preserved Babylonian law code of ancient Mesopotamia , dating back to about 1754 BC. It is one of the oldest deciphered writings of significant length in the world. The sixth Babylonian king, Hammurabi , enacted the code, and partial copies exist on a human-sized stone stele and various clay tablets. The Code consists of 282 laws, with scaled punishments, adjusting "an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth" ( lex talionis ) as graded depending on social status, of slave versus free man. Nearly one-half of the Code deals with matters of contract, establishing, for example, the wages to be paid to an ox driver or a surgeon. Other provisions set the terms of a transaction, establishing the liability of a builder for a house that collapses, for example, or property that is damaged while left in the care of another. A third of the code addresses issues concerning household and family relationships such as inheritance, divorce, paternity and sexual behavior . Only one provision appears to impose obligations on an official; this provision establishes that a judge who reaches an incorrect decision is to be fined and removed from the bench permanently. A handful of provisions address issues related to military service. The code was discovered by modern archaeologists in 1901, and its editio princeps translation published in 1902 by Jean-Vincent Scheil . This nearly complete example of the Code is carved into a diorite stele in the shape of a huge index finger , 2.25-metre (7.4 ft) tall ( see images at right ). The Code is inscribed in the Akkadian language , using cuneiform script carved into the stele. It is currently on display in the Louvre , with exact replicas in the Oriental Institute at the University of Chicago, the library of the Theological University of the Reformed Churches (Dutch: Theologische Universiteit Kampen voor de Gereformeerde Kerken) in The Netherlands, the Pergamon Museum of Berlin and the National Museum of Iran in Tehran. The laws were based with scaled punishments, adjusting "an eye for an eye" depending on social status.

Babylonian code of law or conduct "The Code of Hammurabi" redirects here. It is one of the oldest deciphered writings of significant length in the world. The sixth Babylonian king, Hammurabi , enacted the code. A partial copy exists on a 2.25-metre-tall (7.5 ft) stone stele . It consists of 282 laws, with scaled punishments, adjusting "an eye for an eye , a tooth for a tooth" ( lex talionis ) as graded based on social stratification depending on social status and gender, of slave versus free, man versus woman . Nearly half of the code deals with matters of contract, establishing the wages to be paid to an ox driver or a surgeon for example. Other provisions set the terms of a transaction, the liability of a builder for a house that collapses, or property that is damaged while left in the care of another. A third of the code addresses issues concerning household and family relationships such as inheritance, divorce, paternity, and reproductive behavior . Only one provision appears to impose obligations on a government official; this provision establishes that a judge who alters his decision after it is written down is to be fined and removed from the bench permanently. A few provisions address issues related to military service. The code was discovered by modern archaeologists in 1901, and its editio princeps translation published in 1902 by Jean-Vincent Scheil . This nearly complete example of the code is carved into a diorite stele in the shape of a huge index finger , 2.25 m (7.4 ft) tall. The code is inscribed in the Akkadian language , using cuneiform script carved into the stele. The material was imported into Sumeria from Magan - today the area covered by the United Arab Emirates and Oman . It is currently on display in the Louvre , with replicas in numerous institutions, including the Oriental Institute at the University of Chicago , the Northwestern Pritzker School of Law in Chicago, the Clendening History of Medicine Library & Museum at the University of Kansas Medical Center, the library of the Theological University of the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands, the Pergamon Museum of Berlin, the Arts Faculty of the University of Leuven in Belgium, the National Museum of Iran in Tehran, the Department of Anthropology, National Museum of Natural History , Smithsonian Institution , the University Museum at the University of Pennsylvania , the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts in Russia, the Prewitt-Allen Archaeological Museum at Corban University, Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary, and Museum of the Bible in Washington, DC. The American Journal of Theology . 8 (3). The laws were based with scaled punishments, adjusting " an eye for an eye " depending on social status and gender. Ancient mesopotamian materials and industries : the archaeological evidence . STORY OF CHALDEA FROM THE EARLIEST TIMES TO THE RISE OF ASSYRIA : treated as a general ... introduction to the study of ancient history .

Babylonian legal text 48°51′40.13″N 2°20′16.9″E  /  48.8611472°N 2.338028°E  / 48.8611472; 2.338028 The Code of Hammurabi is a Babylonian legal text composed during 1755–1750 BC. It is the longest, best-organised, and best-preserved legal text from the ancient Near East . It is written in the Old Babylonian dialect of Akkadian , purportedly by Hammurabi , sixth king of the First Dynasty of Babylon . The primary copy of the text is inscribed on a basalt stele 2.25 m (7 ft 4 + 1 ⁄ 2 in) tall. The stele was rediscovered in 1901 at the site of Susa in present-day Iran, where it had been taken as plunder six hundred years after its creation. The text itself was copied and studied by Mesopotamian scribes for over a millennium. The stele now resides in the Louvre Museum . The top of the stele features an image in relief of Hammurabi with Shamash , the Babylonian sun god and god of justice. Below the relief are about 4,130 lines of cuneiform text: one fifth contains a prologue and epilogue in poetic style, while the remaining four fifths contain what are generally called the laws. In the prologue, Hammurabi claims to have been granted his rule by the gods "to prevent the strong from oppressing the weak". The laws are casuistic , expressed as "if ... then" conditional sentences . Their scope is broad, including, for example, criminal law , family law , property law , and commercial law . Modern scholars responded to the Code with admiration at its perceived fairness and respect for the rule of law , and at the complexity of Old Babylonian society. There was also much discussion of its influence on the Mosaic Law . Scholars quickly identified lex talionis —the "eye for an eye" principle—underlying the two collections. Debate among Assyriologists has since centred around several aspects of the Code: its purpose, its underlying principles, its language, and its relation to earlier and later law collections. Despite the uncertainty surrounding these issues, Hammurabi is regarded outside Assyriology as an important figure in the history of law and the document as a true legal code. Capitol has a relief portrait of Hammurabi alongside those of other historic lawgivers. There are replicas of the stele in numerous institutions, including the headquarters of the United Nations in New York City and the Pergamon Museum in Berlin . Civilizations of the Ancient Near East . Art and Architecture of the World's Religions .

Babylonian legal text The Code of Hammurabi is a Babylonian legal text composed during 1755–1750 BC. It is the longest, best-organized, and best-preserved legal text from the ancient Near East . It is written in the Old Babylonian dialect of Akkadian , purportedly by Hammurabi , sixth king of the First Dynasty of Babylon . The primary copy of the text is inscribed on a basalt stele 2.25 m (7 ft 4 + 1 ⁄ 2 in) tall. The stele was rediscovered in 1901 at the site of Susa in present-day Iran, where it had been taken as plunder six hundred years after its creation. The text itself was copied and studied by Mesopotamian scribes for over a millennium. The stele now resides in the Louvre Museum . The top of the stele features an image in relief of Hammurabi with Shamash , the Babylonian sun god and god of justice. Below the relief are about 4,130 lines of cuneiform text: one fifth contains a prologue and epilogue in poetic style, while the remaining four fifths contain what are generally called the laws. In the prologue, Hammurabi claims to have been granted his rule by the gods "to prevent the strong from oppressing the weak". The laws are casuistic , expressed as "if ... then" conditional sentences . Their scope is broad, including, for example, criminal law , family law , property law , and commercial law . Modern scholars responded to the Code with admiration at its perceived fairness and respect for the rule of law , and at the complexity of Old Babylonian society. There was also much discussion of its influence on the Mosaic Law . Scholars quickly identified lex talionis —the "eye for an eye" principle—underlying the two collections. Debate among Assyriologists has since centred around several aspects of the Code: its purpose, its underlying principles, its language, and its relation to earlier and later law collections. Despite the uncertainty surrounding these issues, Hammurabi is regarded outside Assyriology as an important figure in the history of law and the document as a true legal code. Capitol has a relief portrait of Hammurabi alongside those of other historic lawgivers. There are replicas of the stele in numerous institutions, including the headquarters of the United Nations in New York City and the Pergamon Museum in Berlin . Civilizations of the Ancient Near East . Art and Architecture of the World's Religions .