Code of Hammurabi
Hammurabi
-Ruled Babylonia
-Most famous Amorite tribal king
-Gained control of the lower Euphrates Valley
-Peaceful reign until the end when he fought his enemies and expanded his empire
-Amorite dynasty declined after his death
-His laws survived
Code of Hammurabi
-Inscribed on a seven-foot stele (stone slab or pillar), enshrined in the temple of Marduk (national god of the Babylonians)
-The Code is now considered a summary of a body of long-standing Sumerian laws
-Laws about prices, wages, payment of loans, marriage contracts, property, slaves
-Divided into three parts: Prologue, Laws, Epilogue
-Only by following the laws would justice be done, peace maintained, and prosperity possible.