Later Larsa period : Stele of the Code of Hammurabi, King of Babylon, c. 1930-1888 BC
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Strommenger, Eva
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This stele was part of the spoils of war which Shutruk-nakhkhunte I had brought to Susa (where it was found in the acropolis) in the 12th century BC. He intended to have an inscription about the victory on the back side and several columns of the original inscription were removed to make way for this, but for unknown reasons the plan was never carried out. Except for the relief at the top, the stele is entirely covered by an inscription carved with the greatest care. Apart from a prologue and an epilogue, the text consists exclusively of legal precepts of a clearly reformatory character. Steles with this reformed system of laws - the oldest Code known is that of Ur-Nammu of Ur - were erected not only in the main temple of Marduk at Babylon but probably in other cities, so do not know where this was found. The very high relief shows the king in a position of prayer before a god seated on a throne. The latter, wearing a crown with four pairs of horns, is holding in his right hand the ring-and-rod, the symbolic meaning of which is still obscure. Rays rise from the shoulders of the god and his feet rest on a rock-like scaly base. Iconography suggests that he is the sun-god Shamash. -- Basalt, h : 2.25 m (Louvre, Paris).
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Archives Series
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1964
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This image is provided for research purposes only and must not be reproduced without the prior permission of the Archives Program, Australian National University.
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