Hammurabi In his position as king of Babylonia, Hammurabi managed to organize
the world’s first code of law and establish Babylon as the dominant and
successful Amorite City of its time. Records written on clay tablets show that
Hammurabi was a very capable administrator and a successful warrior.
His rule spanned from 1792 B.C. to 1750 B.C. When he became king in 1792, he
was still young, but had already become entrusted with many official duties in
his administration. In the early years of his reign, Hammurabi mostly
participated in traditional activities, such as repairing buildings, digging
canals, and fighting wars.
Yet later in his rule, Hammurabi organized a unique code of laws, the first
of its kind, therefore making himself one of the world’s most influential
leaders. Hammurabi was primarily influential to the world because of his code of
laws. This code consisted of 282 provisions, systematically arranged under a
variety of subjects.
He sorted hiss laws into groups such as family, labor personal property, real
estate, trade, and business. This was the first time in history that any laws
had been categorized into various sections. This format of organization was
emulated by civilizations of the future. For example, Semitic cultures
succeeding Hammurabi’s rule used some of the same laws that were included in
Hammurabi’s code.
Hammurabi’s method of thought is evident in present day societies,
which are influenced by his code. Modern governments currently create specific
laws, which are placed into their appropriate family of similar laws.
