Theme

Law

From the Code of Ur-Nammu to Hammurabi's stele: the first attempts to write down justice, contracts, and the rules of common life — the deep ancestor of every legal system since.

Early Dynastic2900 – 2334 BCE

~2450 BCE·Early DynasticEditorial

Stele of the Vultures

The earliest historical document in human history. Before this, we have lists, accounts, and dedications. Here, for the first time, a ruler tells us what happened — with names, places, and consequences.

LawWriting & Literature

Ur III · Neo-Sumerian2112 – 2004 BCE

~2100 BCE·Ur III · Neo-SumerianEditorial

Code of Ur-Nammu

The oldest surviving law code in human history. The principle that the state — not the wronged family — defines and enforces justice begins here.

Law

Old Babylonian2000 – 1600 BCE

~1754 BCE·Old BabylonianEditorial

Code of Hammurabi (stele)

Not the first law code, but the most complete and the most famous. Inscribed on a black diorite stele over two meters tall, displayed in a public place — law made visible, law made monumental.

Law

Middle Babylonian1600 – 1155 BCE

~1340 BCE·Middle BabylonianEditorial

Amarna Letter EA 153 — Abi-milku of Tyre

Part of the earliest known body of international diplomatic correspondence. Akkadian, written in cuneiform on clay, was the lingua franca of Late Bronze Age statecraft — used between Egypt, the Hittites, Mitanni, Babylon, Assyria, and the Levantine vassals.

Daily LifeLaw