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Hammurabi

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Ancient History,
Classical History and Mythology

   Hammurabi
   Diorite head believed to represent Hammurabi
     Born    circa 1810 BC
     Died    circa 1750 BC
     Title   King of Babylon
   Successor Samsu-Iluna

   Hammurabi ( Akkadian from Amorite ˤAmmurāpi, "the kinsman is a healer,"
   from ˤAmmu, "paternal kinsman," and Rāpi, "healer"; ca. 1810 BC – 1750
   BC), was the sixth king of Babylon. He became the first king of the
   Babylonian Empire, extending Babylon's control over Mesopotamia by
   winning a series of wars against neighboring kingdoms.

   Hammurabi is known for the set of laws called Hammurabi's Code, one of
   the first written codes of law in recorded history. Owing to his
   reputation in modern times as an ancient law-giver, Hammurabi's
   portrait is in many government buildings throughout the world. Although
   his empire controlled all of Mesopotamia by the time of his death, his
   successors were unable to maintain his empire.

History

   Hammurabi was one of the first dynasty kings of the city-state of
   Babylon, and inherited the throne from his father, Sin-muballit, in
   1792 BC. Babylon was one of the many ancient city-states that dotted
   the Mesopotamian plain and waged war on each other for control of
   fertile agricultural land.Though many cultures co-existed in
   Mesopotamia, Babylonian culture gained a degree of prominence among the
   literate classes throughout the Middle East. The kings who came before
   Hammurabi had begun to consolidate rule of central Mesopotamia under
   Babylonian hegemony and, by the time of his reign, had conquered the
   city-states of Borsippa, Kish, and Sippar. Thus Hammurabi ascended to
   the throne as the king of a minor kingdom in the midst of a complex
   geopolitical situation, surrounded by the more powerful kingdoms of
   Shamshi-Adad, Larsa, Eshnunna, and Elam.

   The first few decades of Hammurabi's reign were relatively peaceful,
   although the death of Shamshi-Adad I led to the fragmentation of his
   northern Semitic empire, and Babylon became comparatively stronger as a
   result. Hammurabi used this time to undertake a series of public works,
   including heightening the city walls for defensive purposes, and
   expanding the temples. In 1766 BC, the powerful kingdom of Elam, which
   straddled important trade routes across the Zagros Mountains, invaded
   the Mesopotamian plain. With allies among the plain states, Elam
   attacked and destroyed the empire of Eshnunna, destroying a number of
   cities and imposing its rule on portions of the plain for the first
   time. In order to consolidate its position, Elam tried to start a war
   between Hammurabi's Babylonian kingdom and the kingdom of Larsa.
   Hammurabi and the king of Larsa made an alliance when they discovered
   this duplicity and were able to crush the Elamites, although Larsa did
   not contribute greatly to the military effort. Angered by Larsa's
   failure to come to his aid, Hammurabi turned on that southern power,
   thus gaining control of the entirety of the lower Mesopotamian plain by
   1763 BC.

   As Hammurabi was assisted during the war in the south by his allies
   from the north, the absence of soldiers in the north led to unrest.
   Continuing his expansion, Hammurabi turned his attention northward,
   quelling the unrest and soon after crushing Eshnunna. Next the
   Babylonian armies conquered the remaining northern states, including
   Babylon's former ally Mari, although it is possible that the 'conquest'
   of Mari was a surrender without any actual conflict. In just a few
   short years, Hammurabi had succeeded in uniting all of Mesopotamia
   under his rule. Of the major city-states in the region, only Aleppo and
   Qatna to the west in Syria maintained their independence.

   Vast numbers of contract tablets, dated to the reigns of Hammurabi and
   his successors, have been discovered, as well as 55 of his own letters.
   These letters give a glimpse into the daily trials of ruling an empire,
   from dealing with floods and mandating changes to a flawed calendar, to
   taking care of Babylon's massive herds of livestock. Hammurabi died and
   passed the reigns of the empire on to his son Samsu-Iluna in 1750 BC.

   The upper part of the stele of Hammurabi's code of laws
   The upper part of the stele of Hammurabi's code of laws

Code of laws

   Hammurabi is perhaps best known for the promulgation of a new code of
   Babylonian law – the Code of Hammurabi. This was written on a stele, a
   large stone monument, and placed in a public place so that all could
   see it, although it is thought that few were literate. The stele was
   later plundered by the Elamites and removed to their capital, Susa; it
   was rediscovered there in 1901 and is now in the Louvre Museum in
   Paris. The code of Hammurabi contained 282 laws, written by scribes on
   12 tablets. Unlike earlier laws, it was written in Akkadian, the daily
   language of Babylon, and could therefore be read by any literate person
   in the city.
   An inscription of the Code of Hammurabi
   An inscription of the Code of Hammurabi

   The structure of the code is very specific, with each offense receiving
   a specified punishment. The punishments tended to be harsh by modern
   standards, with many offenses resulting in death, disfigurement, or the
   use of the "Eye for eye, tooth for tooth philosophy". While the
   penalties of his laws may seem cruel to modern readers, the fact that
   he not only put into writing the laws of his kingdom, but attempted to
   make them a systematic whole, is considered an important step forward
   in the evolution of civilization. Putting the laws into writing was
   important in itself because it suggested that the laws were immutable
   and above the power of any earthly king to change. The code is also one
   of the earliest examples of the idea of presumption of innocence, and
   it also suggests that the accused and accuser have the opportunity to
   provide evidence. However, there is no provision for extenuating
   circumstances to alter the prescribed punishment.

   A carving at the top of the stele portrays Hammurabi receiving the laws
   from the god Shamash, and the preface states that Hammurabi was chosen
   by the gods of his people to bring the laws to them. Parallels to this
   divine inspiration for laws can be seen in the laws created by Moses
   for the ancient Hebrews. Similar codes of law were created in several
   nearby civilizations, including the earlier Babylonian example of
   Ur-Nammu's code and the later Hittite code of laws.

Legacy and depictions

   Under the rules of Hammurabi's successors, the Babylonian Empire was
   weakened by military pressure from the Hittites, who sacked Babylon
   around 1600. However it was the Kassites who eventually conquered
   Babylon and ruled Mesopotamia for 400 years, adopting parts of the
   Babylonian culture, including Hammurabi's code of laws.

   Because of Hammurabi's reputation as a lawgiver, his depiction can be
   found in several U.S. government buildings. Hammurabi is one of the 23
   lawgivers depicted in marble bas-reliefs in the chamber of the U.S.
   House of Representatives in the United States Capitol. An image of
   Hammurabi receiving the Code of Hammurabi from the Babylonian sun god
   (probably Shamash) is depicted on the frieze on the south wall of the
   U.S. Supreme Court building.
   Bas-relief of Hammurabi in the U.S. House of Representatives chamber.
   Bas-relief of Hammurabi in the U.S. House of Representatives chamber.

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