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Whose Code of Laws Was the First?

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Quick Answer

The Code of Hammurabi (c. 1754 BC) is the best-preserved ancient law code, though earlier codes from Ur-Nammu (c. 2100 BC) exist.

The Full Story

The Code of Hammurabi, created by Babylonian King Hammurabi around 1754 BC, is the most complete and famous ancient law code, inscribed on a 2.25-metre black diorite stele. It contains 282 laws covering property, trade, family, labour, and crime, with punishments often following the principle of "an eye for an eye" (lex talionis). However, earlier law codes exist: the Code of Ur-Nammu (c. 2100-2050 BC), from the Sumerian city of Ur, is the oldest known, and the Laws of Eshnunna (c. 1930 BC) also predate Hammurabi. The Code of Hammurabi stele was discovered in 1901-02 in Susa, Iran, and is now in the Louvre Museum in Paris.

Key Facts

1.The Code of Ur-Nammu prescribes fines rather than physical punishment for most offences — considered more progressive than Hammurabi "eye for an eye."
2.The Code of Hammurabi stele shows the king receiving the laws from the sun god Shamash.
3.Hammurabi laws distinguished between social classes; punishments varied depending on whether the victim was a free person, a commoner, or a slave.

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Suggested video title for this topic:

"The Code of Hammurabi — The World Most Famous Ancient Laws"