10 interesting facts about hammurabi

He became the first king of the Babylonian Empire , extending Babylon's control over Mesopotamia by winning a series of wars against neighboring kingdoms. He was a very efficient ruler, giving the region stability after turbulent times, and transforming what had been an unstable collection of city-states into an empire that spanned the fertile crescent of Mesopotamia.

A great literary revival followed. One of the most important works of this "First Dynasty of Babylon," as the native historians called it, was the compilation of a code of laws. This was made by order of Hammurabi after the expulsion of the Elamites and the settlement of his kingdom. A copy of the Code of Hammurabi was found in by J.

This code recognized that kingly power derived from God and that earthly rulers had moral duties, as did their subjects. Hammurabi's code was one of the first written codes of law in recorded history. These laws were written on a stone tablet, or stele , standing over six feet tall. Although his empire controlled all of Mesopotamia at the time of his death, his successors were unable to maintain it.

Hammurabi was a First Dynasty king of the city-state of Babylon, and inherited the throne from his father, Sin-muballit, in c.

How long did hammurabi rule

The powerful kingdom of Eshnunna controlled the upper Tigris River while Larsa controlled the river delta. To the east lay the kingdom of Elam. To the north, the Shamshi-Adad I was undertaking expansionistic wars, [4] although his untimely death would fragment his newly conquered Semitic empire. The first few decades of Hammurabi's reign were relatively peaceful.

Hammurabi used this time to undertake a series of public works, including heightening the city walls for defensive purposes, and expanding the temples.