In ancient times, early civilizations lacked an understanding of what and what not do to. While all cultures have some system of social regulation and conflict resolution, law is a written and administered conflict resolution and retaliation. Hammurabi is thought of to be a life-saver, or to others, a life-ender. He brought justice throughout his kingdom to those in the wrong.
The ancient Mesopotamian king Hammurabi was the ruler who chiefly established the greatness of Babylon, which is often referred to as the world's first metropolis. Hammurabi was the king and chief priest of Babylonia from 1792-1750 B.C. During his reign, he expanded his empire greatly before focusing toward wealth and justice for his people. He created a code protecting all classes of Babylonian society, including women and slaves. Hammurabi's code is the oldest set of laws known to exist. Hammurabi's code was a law of revenge, or more so "an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a life for a life". In his code, he sought protection of the weak from the powerful and the poor from the rich. Hammurabi's code of laws is written on a stone. This stone was unearthed by French archaeologists at Iraq (ancient Elam) in 1901-02. The black diorite monument is eight feet high, clearly in perfect public view, and had been broken into three pieces. It begins and ends with addresses to the gods. A copy of the monument is now located in the Louvre Museum.
When the Semitic tribes settled in the cities of Babylonia, their tribal custom passed over into city law. The early history of the country is the story of a struggle for supremacy between the cities. A metropolis demanded tribute and military support from its subject cities but left their local cults and customs unaffected. The city rights and usages were respected by kings and conquerors alike. Hammurabi's Code consists of 44 columns of text and 28 paragraphs of which contain the actual code.
