The Oldest Code of Laws in the World
- Pages
- 51
About this book
Carved on a block of black diorite nearly eight feet high, this Babylonian code of laws was dug up at Susa and published in French in 1902 by Father V. Scheil. The English translation here is by C. H. W. Johns and dates from 1903.
Johns's introduction describes the monument itself, where a carved scene pairs the king with the seated sun-god Šamaš, the source of the laws. The numbered sections that follow deal with everyday matters: witnesses and judges, theft, debts, adoption, family property, builders, boats and injuries, each with its stated penalty, many of them harsh by modern standards.
An index serves as a digest of the code and suggests alternative renderings for technical terms. Readers of ancient history, law or Biblical background will find a primary source here, in a deliberately literal English.
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Book facts
- Author
- Hammurabi
- Genre
- Ancient History
- Formats
- PDF, EPUB, Read online