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Primary sourceDocumentc. 1753 BCE

Code of Hammurabi

Hammurabi · c. 1753 BCE

A Babylonian legal text composed under Hammurabi, inscribed on a tall basalt stele, listing hundreds of laws with a prologue and epilogue presenting him as a just, god-chosen ruler.

This is Hammurabi's own law code, commissioned by him and presenting his claim to divine, just kingship.

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Photo of the black basalt Code of Hammurabi stele on a dark background. The tall, tapering stone has a rounded top carved in relief with a standing figure facing a seated figure on a throne, and below are rows of carved cuneiform text.
Code of Hammurabi, c. 1753 BCE. Louvre Museum, Paris.

About this source

What it is

The Code of Hammurabi is a Babylonian legal text from the 18th century BC, inscribed on a basalt stele about 2.25 metres tall. It was commissioned in the name of Hammurabi, sixth king of Babylon, and written in Akkadian cuneiform. The stele was later taken to Susa, rediscovered in 1901, and is now in the Louvre Museum.

Why it matters

The text contains a prologue and epilogue describing Hammurabi as a shepherd-king chosen by the gods to protect the weak from the strong, followed by hundreds of 'if...then' laws covering crime, family, property and trade. It reveals how Babylonian society was divided into ranked classes with different penalties, and it is often linked to the 'eye for an eye' principle later found in other ancient law traditions. Scholars still debate whether it was really applied as law or mainly served to showcase the king's justice.

Look closer

  • Why might a king want his laws carved in stone and displayed publicly?
  • What does the relief of Hammurabi before the sun-god suggest about where he claimed his authority came from?
  • What might the harsh, graded punishments tell you about who held power in this society?

This document is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Hammurabi on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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Photo of a tall black basalt stele with a rounded top. Carved relief at the top shows a standing figure at left facing a seated figure with a horned crown at right. Below, the stone is covered in rows of cuneiform script.Sculpture

Primary source

Stele with the Code of Hammurabi

Hammurabi · c. 1792 BCE

Photograph of a clay cuneiform tablet, pale beige and roughly rectangular with a chipped upper-left corner, covered in wedge-shaped impressed signs in horizontal lines. It rests on a black stand against a dark background.Letter

Primary source

Letter from Hammurabi to Sîn-iddinam

Hammurabi · c. 1792-1750 BCE

Photograph of a cuneiform clay tablet on a display stand against a dark background. The tablet is pale beige, with a broken upper edge, and is covered in rows of wedge-shaped cuneiform signs. A museum label with a catalogue number is visible at the bottom.Document

Primary source

List of the year-names of Hammurabi's reign

Old Babylonian period, reign of Hammurabi (c. 1792-1750 BCE)

Five groups of black cuneiform wedge signs on a white background, rendered in a row. The signs are angular, made of wedge-shaped strokes arranged in clusters, and appear to be a short inscription.Document

Secondary source

Chronicle of Early Kings

Babylonian scribes · c. 6th century BCE copy

A tan clay cuneiform tablet, roughly rectangular with a broken upper-left corner, covered in rows of wedge-shaped cuneiform signs on its face. It rests on a clear acrylic stand against a grey background.Letter

Primary source

Letter from Hammurabi to Sîn-iddinam ordering a court hearing

Hammurabi · c. 1792-1750 BCE

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