1. Hammurabi/Hammurapi = “the god Hammu
is a healer” (r. c BC)
King of Babylonia, with Babylon as its capital

2. Old Babylonian Period (c. 2000-1595 BC)
OBV of Epic of Gilgamesh
Several new classes of temple personnel incl.
temple prostitutes (both sexes) and other
types of female temple staff
Hammurabi elevating Marduk to headship of
pantheon; possible origin of Epic of
Creation?

3. Law Code of Hammurabi
Prob. from end of reign
Stele found at Susa (Iran) in 1901 by
French archaeologists. Prob. moved
there by Elamite king c BC.
At top is Hammurabi standing before
Shamash (god of sun and justice)

4. 3 sections:
Preamble
Laws
Epilogue

5. Topics in Law Code:
Lawsuit procedure (1-5)
Offenses against property (6-25)
Land and houses (26-65) ~~gap~~
Trade and commerce (100-26)
Marriage, family and property (127-94)
Assault ( )
Professions (215-40)
Agriculture (241-73)
Wages and rates of hire (274-77)
Slaves (278-82)

6. Compilation of earlier customary laws, royal
edicts, past court cases, extrapolations
and amendments
“The [amount of] wages for a hired worker is
written on the stele, [therefore] in
accordance with what they told you, do
not withhold their wages, be it barley
or silver.”
Contract from Ur quoted in William H. Stiebing, Jr., Ancient
Near Eastern History and Culture (New York: Longman,
2003), p. 91.

7. Classes in Mesopotamian society:
wardum - slave
mushkênum - pauper? commoner?
dependent of nobility or king?
tenant farmer? freedman?
awêlum - “man” - noble? landowner?

8. Accuser and accused (1-3)
Impact of social class (196-99)
Laws protecting women (134, , 148,
142)
Laws protecting children (162, )
Warranties (235, 232, , )

9. Preamble and Epilogue:
Hammurabi as law-giver, liberator,
pious servant of gods and people
Seeking to preserve longevity of code
and his own fame