Early Legal Texts: The Code of Hammurabi

To understand law today it is necessary to understand the rich history of law, all the way back to ancient times and the first documented legal code.

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"Many of our laws are based on ancient texts that have been passed down through the centuries. One example is the Code of Hammurabi, which provides a basis for our civil court system. Hammurabi was a Babylonian king who reigned between the years 1792 to 1750 B.C. During his reign; he created his code or a collection of 282 laws that identified crimes and set out the proper punishments for each offense.

Since paper had not yet been invented, Hammurabi carved his code into a towering pillar of black stone. The pillar was stolen by looters and was thought lost forever until rediscovered in 1901.

Jacques de Morgan unintentionally rediscovered the Code of Hammurabi during an archaeological dig in Persia. The excavation took place at the Elamite capital of Susa, which is more than 250 miles from the site of the location of the Babylonian king’s empire. Jacques de Morgan, who was in charge of the dig, identified the significant find, even though the stone pillar had been broken into three sections. It’s implied that Elamite king Shutruk-Nahhunte had confiscated the pillar and had taken it home to Susa as a prize."