The Code of Hammurabi is a Babylonian set of laws carved on a tall stone stele and attributed to King Hammurabi, who ruled in the 18th century BCE. The text is written in Akkadian cuneiform and begins with a prologue in which the king says that the gods called him to bring justice, followed by a long list of legal cases and an epilogue. It deals with trade, property, family, debt, and offenses and punishments, often following the principle of an eye for an eye, with penalties depending on the social class of the people involved. It is not the earliest law code, but it is one of the best preserved. The stele was found at Susa in 1901 and is now in the Louvre in Paris.
Before and after
- c. 1,810 BCEBirth of Hammurabi
- from 19th century BCE to 17th century BCEThirteenth Dynasty of Egypt
- from c. 1,786 BCE to 1,600 BCEFourteenth Dynasty of Egypt
- from c. 1,782 BCE to 1,570 BCESecond Intermediate Period of Egypt
- c. 1,752 BCECode of Hammurabi
- c. 1,750 BCEDeath of Hammurabi
- c. 1,750 BCEEruption of Veniaminof
- from 18th century BCE to 2nd century BCEColchis
- from c. 1,650 BCE to 1,260 BCEMitanni
More in Art, literature & culture
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- c. 430s BCEHerodotus writes the Histories
- c. 20 BCEVirgil's Aeneid is published
- c. 4 BCENativity of Jesus
- 48 CEPublication of Epistle to the Galatians
- 325 CEFirst Council of Nicaea
The era
This moment belongs to the Ancient civilizations (3,200 BCE to 500 CE), writing, cities and empires. You can also browse everything in the 18th century BCE.