Codex Hammurabi (Annotated)

The Codex Hammurabi is one of the foundational monuments of ancient legal literature: a carefully structured collection of judgments, penalties, and social regulations from eighteenth-century BCE Babylon. Inscribed in Akkadian cuneiform, its style combines royal proclamation, juridical precision, and theological legitimation. Framed by a majestic prologue and epilogue, the code situates law within...