Skip to main content

Primary sourceSculpturec. 2254-2218 BCE

Victory Stele of Naram-Sin

c. 2254-2218 BCE

An earlier Akkadian royal victory stele, looted to Susa alongside Hammurabi's law stele, showing the tradition of Mesopotamian royal monuments.

Looted to Susa alongside Hammurabi's stele, it exemplifies the Mesopotamian royal-stele tradition Hammurabi's own monument belongs to.

Ask Hammurabi about this sourceView the original(opens in new tab)
Photograph of a tall, tapering pink sandstone stele carved in relief. At the top are two sun disks with radiating rays. A standing figure wearing a horned headdress holds a bow, and smaller figures climb a mountain, with cuneiform inscription in columns on the upper right. Lower registers show many small figures in procession and combat on a rough, weathered surface.
Victory Stele of Naram-Sin, c. 2254-2218 BCE. Louvre, Paris.

About this source

What it is

This is a carved stone monument showing King Naram-Sin of Akkad leading his army to victory over the Lullubi people. It dates to around 2254-2218 BC and was found at Susa, where it had been carried off by the Elamite king Shutruk-Nakhunte, who added his own inscription. French archaeologist Jacques de Morgan excavated it in 1898, and it is now in the Louvre.

Why it matters

The stele shows how Mesopotamian kings used art to present themselves as god-like and victorious, with the king towering over defeated enemies. It was taken from Mesopotamia along with Hammurabi's own law stele, and its style and symbolism are often compared to the imagery atop Hammurabi's famous monument, showing a long tradition of royal stelae.

Look closer

  • What details make Naram-Sin look larger or more powerful than everyone else?
  • Why would a later king add his own inscription instead of destroying the stele?
  • How does the stele try to justify the conquest shown on it?

This sculpture 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