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The Stele of Hammurabi (c. 1792-1750 BCE) is both a piece of art and a code of law commissioned by the 6th King of Babylon, Hammurabi. The sculpture is a 7.4 ft.
Who made the Stele?
The production of stelae by the Maya had its origin around 400 BC and continued through to the end of the Classic Period, around 900, although some monuments were reused in the Postclassic (c. 900–1521).
What did the Hammurabi create?
Hammurabi, the ruler of Babylon, is best known for the development of a code of laws known as the Code of Hammurabi, which was used to regulate Mesopotamian society.
What type of art is the Code of Hammurabi?
The Code of Hammurabi is a Babylonian legal text composed c. 1755–1750 BC. It is the longest, best-organised, and best-preserved legal text from the ancient Near East. It is written in the Old Babylonian dialect of Akkadian, purportedly by Hammurabi, sixth king of the First Dynasty of Babylon.
What was the Stele of Hammurabi used for?
The Stele of Hammurabi was placed in public locations throughout the kingdom and was written in the native language of the people of Babylon. This ensured that anyone who was literate could read the code of Hammurabi and see how the laws applied to their lives.
How was the stele of Hammurabi made?
The black stone stele containing the Code of Hammurabi was carved from a single, four-ton slab of diorite, a durable but incredibly difficult stone for carving.
What is the narrative on the stele of Hammurabi?
It commemorates Hammurabi, King of Babylon 1792 BC to 1750 BC, and contains 282 laws written in cuneiform script and the Akkadian Language. The text is written vertically. The top of the stele has a relief depicting Hammurabi with his hands over his mouth as a sign of prayer standing before the seated sun-god Shamash.
What did Hammurabi turn his attention to once he had accomplished his goal?
He instituted his famous code of laws (c. 1772 BCE), paid careful attention to the needs of the people, improved irrigation of fields and maintenance of the infrastructures of the cities under his control, while also building opulent temples to the gods.
Why was Hammurabi crowned king?
When Hammurabi turned eighteen years old, his father became very sick. Soon his father died and young Hammurabi was crowned king of the city-state of Babylon. It was now Hammurabi’s job to keep the city safe and help it to prosper.
How many wives did Hammurabi?
This right, which the Code of Hammurabi had granted to the Babylonians, remained in force for nearly five hundred years. This right however did not permit the husband to have two ‘wives’; this title belonged to the legal wife from the moment that he placed the veil upon her.
What type of sculpture is the stele of Hammurabi?
The sculpture is a 7.4 ft. tall piece of diorite, the lower 3/4 of the stone smoothed as to allow The Code of Hammurabi (the laws and punishments he set forth) to be inscribed on it. The top quarter of the piece is a relief sculpture depicting Hammurabi receiving the code orally from the god of justice, Shamash.
Is Hammurabi’s Code an artifact?
Created by King Hammurabi of Babylon in the 18th century BC, The Code of Hammurabi is an artifact of Ancient Mesopotamia and is one of the oldest and most influential written laws on record.
What does the Code of Hammurabi reveal about Mesopotamian society?
What does Hammurabi’s Code reveal about Babylonian society? It was based on social hierarchy and showed the importance of class distinctions. It also reveals the significance of business, trade, and family in the Babylonian Empire.
Why was the stele in such wide use in ancient civilizations?
stela, also spelled stele (Greek: “shaft” or “pillar”), plural stelae, standing stone slab used in the ancient world primarily as a grave marker but also for dedication, commemoration, and demarcation. The largest number of stelae were produced in Attica, where they were usually used as grave markers.
What was the stele of Hammurabi and how did it represent this king?
What is interesting about the representation of Hammurabi on the legal code stele is that he is seen as receiving the laws from the god Shamash, who is seated, complete with thunderbolts coming from his shoulders. The emphasis here is Hammurabi’s role as pious theocrat, and that the laws themselves come from the god.
Was Hammurabi an Egyptian?
Hammurabi was an Amorite First Dynasty king of the city-state of Babylon, and inherited the power from his father, Sin-Muballit, in c. 1792 BC. Though many cultures co-existed in Mesopotamia, Babylonian culture gained a degree of prominence among the literate classes throughout the Middle East under Hammurabi.
What made Hammurabi famous?
Hammurabi ruled Babylon from about 1792 to 1750 BCE. He is noted for his surviving set of laws, which were inscribed on a stela in Babylon’s temple of Marduk. Hammurabi’s Code was once considered the oldest promulgation of laws in human history, though older, shorter law collections have since been found.
When did Hammurabi’s Code end?
The Code endured even after Babylon was conquered. Hammurabi’s empire went into decline after his death in 1750 B.C. before unraveling entirely in 1595 B.C., when a Hittite army sacked Babylon and claimed its riches.
What types of topics did the Code of Hammurabi deal with?
It consists of Hammurabi’s legal decisions that were collected toward the end of his reign. These 282 case laws include economic provisions (prices, tariffs, trade, and commerce) as well as family law (marriage and divorce), criminal law (assault and theft), and civil law (slavery and debt).
Why was Hammurabi’s code so significant in history?
The Code of Hammurabi allows historians to take a look at daily life in ancient Babylon. It allowed all of Babylon’s citizens to read the laws that governed their lives, and the laws could not be manipulated by a ruler to suit his or her own goals.
Why was the Code of Hammurabi so harsh?
Some of historians and scholars think Hammurabi’s laws were cruel and unjust. They say the laws called for violent punishments, often death, for nonviolent crimes. Hammurabi also believed that the gods had power over people and events. An accused person was allowed to jump into the Euphrates River.
Why did Hammurabi conquer Mesopotamia?
In the last ten years of his reign, Hammurabi conquered Lower Mesopotamia. He used the Euphrates river to his advantage. Hammurabi held back the waters of the Euphrates, ruining the crops of lower cities, then he released the water and flooded his enemies. In this way Hammurabi ruled most of Mesopotamia.
