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Secondary sourceBook

The Oldest Code of Laws in the World

C. H. W. Johns

A scanned early 20th-century book by C. H. W. Johns presenting Hammurabi's code of laws to general readers.

This book studies and explains Hammurabi's law code for general readers, long after his reign.

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Dark cloth-bound book cover with two library labels: a white barcode label reading 3 1822 02479 1675 from University of California, San Diego at top, a smaller white label with barcode and text 'UC Southern Regional Library Facility' on the left edge, and a blue label at lower left partially reading 'ifornia', 'onal', 'ity'. A small light stain sits near the lower right.
C. H. W. Johns, The Oldest Code of Laws in the World. Scanned book.

About this source

What it is

This is a scanned book written by scholar C. H. W. Johns, presenting the ancient Babylonian laws attributed to King Hammurabi to ordinary readers. It is a modern, secondary work, not an ancient object.

Why it matters

Johns's book helped introduce Hammurabi's code to English-speaking readers, translating and explaining laws that had survived on an ancient stone monument. It shows how later scholars have studied and interpreted Hammurabi's legal legacy for new audiences.

Look closer

  • Why might a scholar in the early 1900s want to publish Hammurabi's laws for general readers?
  • How might a translation change the meaning of an ancient legal text?
  • What does the opening section about spells and the 'holy river' tell you about Babylonian beliefs and justice?

This book 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

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