When did the earliest known legal code from Mesopotamia appear?
Quick Answer
The earliest known law code is usually linked to Ur-Nammu, around 2100–2050 BCE. It predates the better-known Code of Hammurabi by several centuries.
The Full Story
The earliest known surviving law code from Mesopotamia is associated with King Ur-Nammu of Ur, usually dated to around 2100–2050 BCE. It is older than the famous Code of Hammurabi, which was created around 1754 BCE. The Ur-Nammu code included rules about fines and compensation for offenses, showing an early move toward written, standardized justice. Only fragments survive, but they reveal a sophisticated legal tradition in Sumerian society. These laws were written in cuneiform on clay tablets.
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