Primary sourceLetterc. 1792-1750 BCE

Letter from Hammurabi to Sîn-iddinam ordering a court hearing

Hammurabi · c. 1792-1750 BCE

A clay tablet letter from Hammurabi to his governor of Larsa, ordering men to be sent to Babylon for a court hearing.

Another letter written by Hammurabi, showing his personal oversight of legal cases involving his officials.

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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 from Hammurabi to Sîn-iddinam, governor of Larsa, ordering a court hearing, c. 1792-1750 BCE. BM 12815.

About this source

What it is

This cuneiform clay tablet, BM 12815, is a letter from Hammurabi, king of Babylon, to Sîn-iddinam, governor of Larsa, instructing that certain men be sent to Babylon for a court hearing.

Why it matters

Alongside similar letters, this tablet shows the close, detailed oversight Hammurabi kept over legal and administrative matters across his empire, even in distant conquered territories such as Larsa. It gives a glimpse of royal justice in daily practice, beyond the formal laws carved on his famous stele.

Look closer

What does ordering a court hearing in Babylon suggest about where final legal authority lay?
Why might Hammurabi want to involve himself personally in this case rather than leaving it to local officials?
How does this letter compare with the grand claims of justice made in his law code?

This letter 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 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.

Document

Primary source

Code of Hammurabi

Hammurabi · c. 1753 BCE

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