Code of Hammurabi

Hammurabi, Code of I. INTRODUCTION Hammurabi, Code of, collection of the laws and edicts of the Babylonian king Hammurabi, and the earliest legal code known in its entirety. A copy of the code, engraved on a block of black basalt that is 2.25 m (7 ft 5 in) in height, was unearthed by a team of French archaeologists at Susa, Iraq, formerly ancient Elam, during the winter of 1901 to 1902. The block, broken in three pieces, has been restored …

…counsels the downtrodden in these ringing words: "Let any oppressed man who has a cause come into the presence of my statue as king of justice, and have the inscription on my stele read out, and hear my precious words, that my stele may make the case clear to him; may he understand his cause, and may his heart be set at ease!" "Hammurabi, Code of." Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2000 http://encarta.msn.com (18 Sept. 2000)