Skip to main content

Primary sourceDocument1903

Sommer Translation of the Code of Hammurabi

Hammurabi · 1903

An early twentieth-century English translation of Hammurabi's code of laws, published in the journal Records of the Past.

This is a direct translation of Hammurabi's own code of laws, including his introduction and conclusion.

Ask Hammurabi about this sourceView the original(opens in new tab)
Full text (Wikisource)

About this source

What it is

This 1903 publication contains an English translation of Hammurabi's code of laws by H. Otto Sommer, printed in the journal Records of the Past. It includes an introduction, the code itself, Hammurabi's conclusion, and plates of the cuneiform text.

Why it matters

This translation let English-speaking readers in the early 1900s encounter Hammurabi's laws directly, including his own introduction and conclusion to the code. Including the cuneiform plates alongside the translation shows how scholars tried to connect ancient sources to modern readers.

Look closer

  • Why might the editors have included both a translation and the original cuneiform plates?
  • What might Hammurabi's own introduction and conclusion reveal about how he wanted to be seen?
  • Why do you think this text was published in a journal rather than as a standalone book?

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

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

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