The Code of Hammurabi was a set of 282 laws inscribed in stone by the Babylonian king Hammurabi (r. 1795-1750 BCE) who conquered and then ruled ancient Mesopotamia. Although his law code was not the first, it was the most clearly defined and influenced the laws of other cultures.
More about: Code of HammurabiDefinition
Timeline
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c. 2100 BCE - c. 2050 BCEThe Code of Ur-Nammu (the oldest extant code of laws) is written.
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c. 1930 BCEThe Laws of Eshnunna written in the city of Eshnunna, Mesopotamia.
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c. 1870 BCE - 1860 BCELaw code of Lipit-Ishtar written.
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c. 1772 BCEThe Code of Hammurabi: One of the earliest codes of law in the world.
