Artifacts

The Code of Hammurabi is one of the earliest and most complete written legal codes, created around 1754 BCE by King Hammurabi of Babylon. It consists of 282 laws carved into a stone stele, covering justice, trade, family, and crime, and is famous for the principle of “an eye for an eye.” 🏛️ Overview of the Code Author: Hammurabi, sixth king of Babylon (reigned 1792–1750 BCE). Date: Around 1754 BCE. Medium: Inscribed on a basalt stele, 2.25 meters tall. Discovery: Found in 1901 at Susa (modern Iran), now preserved in the Louvre Museum, Paris . Language: Old Babylonian dialect of Akkadian. 📜 Key Features 282 Laws: Covering criminal, civil, family, and commercial matters. Lex Talionis: The principle of retributive justice (“eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth”). Social Hierarchy: Penalties varied depending on social class (free men, slaves, nobles). Prologue & Epilogue: Hammurabi claimed divine authority from Shamash, the god of justice, to “prevent the strong from oppressing...