Skip to main content

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

List of the year-names of Hammurabi's reign

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

A cuneiform tablet listing the 43 years of Hammurabi's reign, recording his building works, religious acts and conquests.

This tablet records the year-by-year events of Hammurabi's reign, including his conquests and building works.

Ask Hammurabi about this sourceView the original(opens in new tab)
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.
List of the 43 years of the reign of Hammurabi of Babylon, Old Babylonian period. AO 7664.

About this source

What it is

This clay tablet from the Old Babylonian period lists the year-names used to date the 43 years of Hammurabi's reign as king of Babylon. It is held as object AO 7664.

Why it matters

Mesopotamian scribes named each year after a notable event, such as a building project, a religious dedication, or a military victory. This tablet shows, year by year, how Hammurabi's reign was remembered through his conquests of Eshnunna, Larsa and Mari, as well as his construction and religious works. It is a key source for reconstructing the chronology and achievements of his rule.

Look closer

  • Why would a kingdom name years after events instead of using numbers?
  • What kinds of events seem to have been considered most important to record?
  • What might this list leave out about ordinary life during Hammurabi's reign?

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.

More Hammurabi sources

Meet the AI Hammurabi →
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

Letter from Hammurabi to Sîn-iddinam

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

Ready when you are

Start chatting with Hammurabi now.

20 messages free · No credit card · Available in 50+ languages.

Trial Humy for freeGet a quote for institutions