The Hammurabi code was not the first code in Mesopotamia. It is a re-arrangement of the previous codes. There were several. Hammurabi managed to make his in a better way. It protects his citizens through a code of laws, instead of judging each case separately and in a chaotic way. It is definitely modern in concept and has influenced all the populations since then. A reproduction of part of it stands on a wall in a state building in Washington, DC.