CODE OF HAMMURABI Hammurabi fu uno dei re della dinastia babilonese.

Il suo contributo allo sviluppo del regno fu notevole, in quanto prese parte allespansione e allarricchimento di esso. Linteresse maggiore , tuttavia, dovuto alla promulgazione di un codice di leggi, inciso su una stele di pietra, denominato Codice di Hammurabi. Questo codice rappresenta uno dei primi esempi di leggi scritte nella storia e consiste in una raccolta di 282 norme, che prescrivevano agli abitanti del regno il corretto comportamento a cui attenersi. E suddiviso in base alle varie categorie sociali e tratta diversi aspetti del diritto penale, civile e commerciale.

Hammurabi was the most important king of Babylon, one of the cities of Mesopotamia. He was an extraordinary captain, who belonged to Amorreis tribe. They arrived in the region of Mesopotamia around 2000 B.C. and occupied it. Hammurabi became king in 1792 B.C. and, during the 42 years of his kingdom, he managed to conquer all the Sumerians cities, forming a big empire. He turned Babylon into a wonderful city with a lot of monuments and it became the capital of the empire. Around 1800 B.C. Hammurabi created an enormous kingdom, but the cities that formed it conserved their own languages, cultures and traditions. He realised one of the first written codes in history, because he wanted to unify the people who lived in his empire. The code is called Code of Hammurabi from his author. The written code was always the same and it didnt change even though the king or the judge changed. The king gathered all the populations laws, which were orally handed down, andhe managed to transcribe the code on big stones, posted near temples and the justices buildings of the most important cities. The code is made of 282 laws and it is based on the popular proverb "an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth". Although the gravity of the crimes wasnt always the same, for all the crimes was applied the same punishment, the death. Moreover, the punishment depended on the social category of the guilty and of the victim. The Code of Hammurabi is a reliable source for getting to know Babylonians traditions, because it deals with various aspects of their everydays life: the thieft, the damages, the penal crimes, the marriages, the adoption and the inheritance. For the first time, thanks to this code, the accused and the accuser, have the possibility to provide evidence, in fact all the citizens of the empire had the opportunity to know the laws and to respect it.

It has influenced Hebrews, Greek and Romans and it is the most important legislative monument of the ancient Mesopotamia. It isnt known from many, because there were few publications, the last one goes back to about 1920. The most complete and famous stone is exposed in the Louvre museum in Paris. Other copies have been found again, but not so well preserved.