Code of Hammurabi
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The Code of Hammurabi was an elaborate code of law established by Hammurabi, king of Babylon, around 1750 BC. It is the earliest known code of law. The Code imposed harsh retributive punishment akin to the Bible's "an eye for an eye" punished members of lower classes more severely than those of higher classes. It mandated death for bearing false witness in court. The Code of Hammurabi was used for many hundreds of years.
The Louvre museum in Paris houses a copy of the Code engraved on a conical, black basalt stele, seven feet in height. It was discovered in 1901.
Further reading
- Van De Mieroop, Marc. King Hammurabi of Babylon: A Biography (2004) excerpt and text search
- Wright, David P. Inventing God's Law: How the Covenant Code of the Bible Used and Revised the Laws of Hammurabi (2009) excerpt and text search
- online books and articles