Code of Hammurabi

• The Code of Hammurabi’ (c. 1,750 BCE) is the oldest known Set of Laws, originating from Mesopotamia, but probably influenced by older Laws from Akkadia and Sumeria.

Description

• It is a set of general Laws but contains a large section of Maritime Law.
• The Code covers collision at Sea, Liability, Rates of Pay.
• Written by King Hammurabi of Babylon (1792-1750 BCE) and inscribed on a seven foot high basalt stele, dating to 1754 BCE, which can be seen in the Louvre Museum, Paris.

Location

• Louvre Museum, Paris
  • A Diorite Stele with the complete Code is in the Louvre, Paris, France. It is inscribed with Cuneiform script in the Akkadian Language.
•  ‘Museum of the Ancient Orient’, Istanbul
  • part of the Istanbul Archaeology Museums, Istanbul, Turkey.
  • The museum holds another copy of the Code made on baked clay tablets.

Louvre Museum, Paris