The Code of Hammurabi

The Code of Hammurabi
The Code of Hammurabi was a collection of laws used by the Babylonians. They were carved on a diorite slab written with 3,600 lines of cuneiform. The Code of Hammurabi used the system, an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth. (Richardson)
The Code of Hammurabi mentions a variety of different crimes one can commit. The code had 282 laws on it, but the crimes of a lower member of class committed to an upper class member were much more severe than that of a crime committed to a member of the same class.
The Code of Hammurabi was, as you would guess, written by Hammurabi. Hammurabi lived from 1792 B.C.-1750 B.C. and was the six king of Babylon. During his period of reign, Hammurabi experienced many victories in battle, but he did not do very well when it came to making states. During his reign, there very few models for city-states. Hammurabi’s main goal while emperor was to ensure Babylonia’s control over the Euphrates river.
During the Beginning years of of Hammurabi reign, he spent them consolidating his rule strengthening his position. He formed an Alliance with Larsa which was a neighboring country to Babylonia. Then, later in his thirtieth year of reign, he broke away from Rim-Sin, the king of Larsa, and he became the master of the south.

The Code of Hammurabi had to be carved in stone. It was carved on the surface of a tall black diorite. The diorite was about seven and a half feet tall. The huge stone weighed about four tons. At the top of the stone is a relief that is about two feet high. It has pictures of the Babylonian god Shamash. Left to him is Hammurabi who is portrayed to look as if he is receiving enlightenment from his god. Diorite is one the most durable, long-lasting stones there are but it is also hard to making engravings on it. When engraving there are no mistakes allowed, so if you make a mistake, you have to start all over again. (Amiet)
The stela on the diorite was used as a form of dedication. It was also often used a gravestone marking for many graves. The < a href="http://concise.britannica.com/ebc/article-9069561/stelae">stela<\a> origin is unknown, but it is a stone slab that could be decorated or not.
As you can see, justice was a very difficult process. Writing alone could take days with no mess-ups. That is a little bit about the code of Hammurabi.

Amiet, P. Art of the Ancient Near East. Abrams, New York. 1977.
Richardson, M.E.J. Hammurabi's Laws: Text, Translation and Glossary. Salem, Wisconsin. Sheffield Academic Press. 2000.