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The Code of Hammurabi

Babylon became important after 1800 B.C. under a succession of kings known as the First Dynasty of Babylon. The most famous monarch in that line was the Hammurabi (Hammurapi), who ruled from about 1792 to 1750 B.C. By the use of shrewd diplomacy and strong armies, he deafeated his rivals, the kings of other city-states, and carved out the most powerful empire of his day. Hammurabi also established a code of laws that regulated society strictly, with justice but little mercy. For example, a builder was to be executed if the house he built collapsed on the homeowner. And an incompetant surgeon who cost a patient his or her eye or life was to have his operating hand cut off. Though harsh, Hammurabi's laws protected his subjects from justice.