Hammurabi Biography

Hammurabi was the sixth ruler of the First Dynasty of Babylon. He hailed from the Amorite tribe. He took over the kingdom from his father Sin-Muballit. During his reign, Hammurabi expanded the kingdom to take control of ancient Mesopotamia. When he came to the throne, the kingdom of Babylon along the Euphrates River only consisted of the cities of Babylon, Kish, Sippar, and Borsippa. With his military prowess and successive military campaigns, he conquered other states in the Babylonian kingdom as well. He is also remembered for his code of laws that has 282 rules. It is believed that the Hammurabi code of laws was a benchmark for commercial interactions and it levied fines on those who failed to meet its conditions. The code was carved onto a black stone pillar. However, it was stolen by invaders. It was only rediscovered at the start of the 20th century. His laws were also used to improve the lives of the people in his kingdom. His code was so influential that numerous other cultures were also inspired to formulate similar codes of law. The influence of Hammurabi’s code can be seen in the biblical Book of Exodus as well. Hammurabi was also revered by many as a god during his lifetime. After his death, he came to be considered a great conqueror who managed to spread his rule across vast expanses of land.