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Prologue Tablet of Hammurabi's Code

Hammurabi

An ancient clay tablet bearing the prologue of Hammurabi's law code, now in the Louvre.

This tablet preserves the prologue of Hammurabi's code, presented in his own voice.

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Photo of a tan clay cuneiform tablet, tall and slightly curved at the top, densely covered with small wedge-shaped inscriptions. It rests on a black metal stand on a display shelf, with a small white number label reading 2 at its base.
Prologue tablet of the Code of Hammurabi. Louvre Museum, AO 10237.

About this source

What it is

This clay tablet, covered in cuneiform writing, records the prologue to Hammurabi's famous code of laws. It is held at the Louvre Museum in Paris under the reference AO 10237.

Why it matters

The prologue is written as if in Hammurabi's own voice, introducing himself and his purpose in issuing the laws. This makes the tablet valuable evidence for how Hammurabi wanted to present himself as a just and powerful ruler to his people and to history.

Look closer

  • Why might a king want to explain his reasons for creating laws at the very start of the document?
  • What does writing a law code 'in the king's own words' tell us about how rulers used writing to build authority?
  • How is a clay tablet different from a stone stele as a way of recording the same text?

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 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

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

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