Hammurabi, the Babylonian King who ruled Sumer between 2123 to 2081 B.C.E was one of the greatest Rulers of Mesopotamian civilization. He was a great conqueror and an able administrator. He became immortal in the history of mankind by compiling his ‘Code of Law’. He collected all the existing civil laws, classified them, improved on them, added new ones and codified them into one body of laws. It included 282 laws, relating to all aspects of life such as personal property, trade, and business, accidents, labour, marriages, divorce, slaves, rights of men and women, etc.

The code of law is engraved on a black stone, with the image of King Hammurabi receiving the laws from God Shamash the Sun God. The code is a mixture of enlightened laws and barbarous punishments. It gave complete responsibility to the State to give justice and deterred people from committing crimes. It aimed at providing equality, and rights to own property for women and slaves. It was truly an everlasting and monumental legal achievement of Hammurabi.