Code of Hammurabi

One of the oldest known written legal codes, the Code of Hammurabi was inscribed on a black basalt stele (stone pillar) during the reign of King Hammurabi of Babylon (1792-1750 BCE). The code contains 282 laws covering topics from trade and property rights to family relations and criminal justice. It establishes the famous principle of "an eye for an eye" (lex talionis). At the top of the stele, a relief shows Hammurabi receiving the laws from Shamash, the god of justice, symbolizing the divine authority behind the laws.