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.
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Definition
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.
