Question

This is Hammurabi's Code, written on a 7 foot tall black stele. It is on display at

the Louvre Museum in Paris, France. The carving at the top of the stele shows
Hammurabi and Shamash, the god of justice. Siamash is sitting on a throne. Why
do you think King Hammurabi would carve the god of justice onto the stele next
to himself?

Answer 1

King Hammurabi included the god of justice, Shamash, on the stele to indicate that the laws of the Code come from a divine source, legitimizing his authority to rule and enforce justice.

Step-by-step explanation:

King Hammurabi carved the image of Shamash, the god of justice, onto the stele next to himself to symbolize the divine origin of the laws within Hammurabi's Code.

The god is seated, underscored with the representation of mountains, indicating his ascendancy and divine nature. In this representation, Shamash is seen granting Hammurabi the tools of rulership, such as a scepter and ring.

These symbols reinforce the notion that Hammurabi's authority to enforce these laws is granted by Shamash and thus has divine legitimacy.

The laws themselves were comprehensive, covering various aspects of Babylonian society and emphasizing order and fairness, as suggested by the tools of measurement that Shamash hands to Hammurabi, illustrating that the laws were intended to measure out justice in society.