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Excerpt from the Code of Hammurabi

Published in Hammurabi, King of Babylonia:
The Letters and Inscriptions of Hammurabi, King of Babylon, 1976

Translated by L. W. King

Hammurabi (1792 B.C.-?) established one of the world's first legal systems. As ruler of Babylonia (in what is now Iraq) during the 1700s B.C., Hammurabi conquered a large empire. To rule such a large and diverse area, he created a system of laws. Among the most notable features of this system are the protections it offered to the weak and vulnerable members of society, such as widows and orphans. On the other hand, it also established harsh punishments, and was the source of the idea "an eye for an eye," the belief that the punishment should be every bit as harsh as the crime itself.