Hammurabi of Babylon - A Quick Look at his Life, Law Code and Legacy

Hi everyone and welcome to this episode of History with Sai. You've probably heard the name Hammurabi, but you might not know who he was and why, even in our own day, he's still famous. However, after this short video you'll know the answer to these and other questions with regard to Hammurabi's life, the laws that he created, and his legacy. So without further ado, let's begin. Hammurabi was one of the most important kings not only in the history of Mesopotamia but the world. Though he created the first Babylonian empire he's most famous for issuing one of the earliest written law codes ever to have been discovered. I say one of the earliest because there were several other kings that we know about who issued law codes before him but Hammurabi's is one of the most complete and comprehensive codes that have been discovered so far Hammurabi was the sixth king of what historians call the First Dynasty of Babylon, which ruled between the years 1894 to 1595 BCE. When Hammurabi came to power, Babylon was one kingdom amongst many in southern Mesopotamia, the area that today makes up a good chunk of modern Iraq. These kingdoms would often fight with each other, with cities often changing hands several times within a generation. Hammurabi was fortunate in that his ancestors, especially his father, Sin-Muballit had built a strong foundation for Babylon's future success. Thus, Hammurabi's early years were spent building irrigation canals, temples, cancelling the debts of many people, which kings in Mesopotamia often did during their early years, sort of as a gesture of goodwill, and the typical day-to-day administration of Babylon and the other cities within his kingdom. However, by his sixth or seventh year on the throne, he was drawn into the squabbles and politics of the region and began waging small wars against his neighbors, especially the kingdom of Larsa to the south, which was ruled by a king named Rim-Sin. In reality, these early battles were more like raids, with few sustainable gains. However, things became more heated in the mid 1760s BCE with conflicts with the northern Mesopotamian kingdom of Eshnunna and later on with the powerful leader of Elam known as the Sukkalmah. Initially, Hammurabi had formed an alliance with King Zimri-Lim of Mari and the Sukkalmah to defeat Eshnunna, which they ultimately did. However, it soon became apparent that the Sukalma was planning to stay in Mesopotamia permanently. A coalition made up of Babylon, Mari, and other allies were ultimately able to defeat the Sukalma, with the end result being that much of Eshnunna's territory was annexed into Hammurabi's kingdom, while the Sukkalmah's Elamite forces were kicked out of Mesopotamia for the foreseeable future. Powerful enough to expand even further, Hammurabi marched south to conquer and annex the kingdom of Larsa. He claimed that he was justified in doing this because Rim-Sin had not come to his aid when he needed it against Eshnunna and Elam. However, Hammurabi's ally, Zimri-Lim of Mari, refused to send troops to assist with the campaign, which infuriated him. Thus, after defeating Larsa and ending the reign of Rim-Sin, Hammurabi attacked Zimri-Lim's kingdom of Mari, destroying the once great city and annexing its territories. By the time he had taken over the cities of Ashur and Nineveh in northern Mesopotamia, Hammurabi was in control of the most powerful state in the ancient Middle East. When he wasn't at war, Hammurabi was occupied with various building projects and running the day-to-day affairs of his now-expanding empire. However, his most notable achievement was his code of 282 laws, which influenced the lives of people both during his time as well as for hundreds of years afterward. Compared to those of our own time, these laws are quite harsh. In his attempt to create an orderly and just society, Hammurabi did not mess around. Here are some examples from the code. If a man comes forward to give false testimony in a case but cannot bring evidence for his accusation, if that case involves a capital offense, that man shall be killed. If a man commits a robbery and is then seized, that man shall be killed. If a builder constructs a house for a man but does not make his work sound, and the house that he constructs collapses and causes the death of the householder, These next laws may sound a bit familiar to you. If a man should blind the eye of another man, they shall blind his eye. If he should break the bone of another man, they shall break his bone. If a man should knock out the tooth of another man of his own rank, they should knock out his tooth. Other laws dealt with the amount of pay required for certain types of work, best practices for various financial transactions, inheritance law, treatment of slaves, and so on. Many judges were appointed in Babylon and other major cities to make sure that Hammurabi's laws were being followed. In addition to the 282 laws themselves, Hammurabi's code contains a lengthy introduction and epilogue, explaining to the world and posterity how much of a pious and righteous king he was. Here's an example. The gods Anu and Enlil, for the enhancement of the well-being of the people, named me by my name. Hammurabi, the pious prince who venerates the gods to make justice prevail in the land, to abolish the wicked and the evil, to prevent the strong from oppressing the weak, to rise like the sun god Shamash all over humankind, to illuminate the land. That's at least how Hammurabi probably wanted to be remembered. He died in the year 1750 BCE, and up until then, had probably been the most powerful man in the world. Though he's gone, his legacy lives on. In spite of the fact that shortly after his death, the empire he created went into decline and eventually crumbled, his laws were copied by scribes in Mesopotamia until about the 6th century BCE. Because the code has similarities with many of the laws found in the Hebrew Bible, many scholars believe that Hammurabi's law code may have been a great influence on it. That though is a topic for another time. So, if you didn't know anything about Hammurabi before, I hope that this short video gave you an idea about who he was and why he's so important to the history of humankind. As always, thanks so much for joining me. I really appreciate it. If you found the video useful, please hit that like button and consider subscribing to the channel. Thanks again, and I'll catch you in the next one.