The Code of Hammurabi was written by the Babylonian king Hammurabi, one of the earliest and most complete legal codes in human history, which influenced future legal systems.
The Codex of Hammurabi was written by the Babylonian king Hammurabi. This ancient set of laws, inscribed on a stone stele and various clay tablets, was created to establish order and justice throughout the Babylonian Empire. Hammurabi was a highly influential ruler who reigned from approximately 1792 to 1750 BCE and was committed to building a stable and prosperous state. He famously created a detailed legal code that sought to protect his subjects, including free men, commoners, and slaves, by providing clear guidelines for proper behavior and justice. This set of laws covered a comprehensive range of topics, from inheritance to murder. The Code of Hammurabi, with its famous dictum "an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth," became one of the earliest and most complete written legal codes in human history, pre-dating biblical laws such as those attributed to Moses.