Hammurabi

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Hammurabi

Hammurabi , fl. 1792-1750 BC, king of Babylonia . He founded an empire that was eventually destroyed by raids from Asia Minor. Hammurabi may have begun building the tower of Babel (Gen. 11.4), which can now be identified with the temple-tower in Babylon called Etemenanki. His code of laws is one of the greatest of ancient codes. It is carved on a diorite column, in 3,600 lines of cuneiform; it was found (1902) at Susa and is now at Paris. The code, which addresses such issues as business and family relations, labor, private property, and personal injuries, is generally humanitarian. One severe feature, however, is the retributive nature of the punishment, which follows "an eye for an eye" literally. Much of the code is drawn from earlier Sumerian and Semitic laws, which seem to provide the basis for its harshly punitive nature.

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Hammurabi

World Encyclopedia | 2005 | Â© World Encyclopedia 2005, originally published by Oxford University Press 2005. (Hide copyright information) Copyright

Hammurabi King of Babylonia (r. c.1792–c.1750 bc). By conquering neighbours, such as Sumeria, he extended his rule in Mesopotamia and reorganized the Empire under the Code of Hammurabi. He was also a good administrator, improving productivity by building canals and granaries.

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