Editing Code of Hammurabi (section)

==Background==
===Hammurabi===
[[File: Hammurabi's Babylonia 1.svg|thumb|alt=Map of Babylonian territory before and after Hammurabi's reign|[[Babylon]]ian territory before (red) and after (orange) [[Hammurabi]]'s reign]]
[[Hammurabi]] (or Hammurapi), the sixth king of the [[Amorite]] [[First Dynasty of Babylon]], ruled from 1792 to 1750 BC ([[middle chronology]]). He secured Babylonian dominance over the [[Mesopotamia]]n plain through military prowess, diplomacy, and treachery. When Hammurabi inherited his father [[Sin-Muballit]]'s throne,{{sfnp|Renger|2020}} [[Babylon]] held little local sway; the local hegemon was [[Rim-Sin]] of [[Larsa]]. Hammurabi waited until Rim-Sin grew old, then conquered his territory in one swift campaign, leaving his organisation intact.{{sfnp|Van De Mieroop|2007|pp=92–93}} Later, Hammurabi betrayed allies in [[Eshnunna]], [[Elam]], and [[Mari, Syria|Mari]] to gain their territories.{{sfnp|Van De Mieroop|2007|pp=100–104}}

Hammurabi had an aggressive foreign policy, but his letters suggest he was concerned with the welfare of his many subjects and was interested in law and justice.{{sfnmp|1a1=Driver|1a2=Miles|1y=1952|1p=52|2a1=Van De Mieroop|2y=2007|2pp=111–113}} He commissioned extensive construction works, and in his letters, he frequently presents himself as his people's shepherd.{{sfnp|Van De Mieroop|2007|pp=111–113}} Justice is also a theme of the prologue to the Code,{{sfnp|Driver|Miles|1952|p=36}} and "the word translated 'justice' [{{lang|akk|ešērum}}]... is one whose root runs through both prologue and epilogue".{{sfnp|Driver|Miles|1952|p=37}}

===Earlier law collections===
{{Main|Cuneiform law}}
Although Hammurabi's Code was the first Mesopotamian law collection to be discovered, it was not the first written; several earlier collections survive. These collections were written in [[Sumerian language|Sumerian]] and [[Akkadian language|Akkadian]]. They also purport to have been written by rulers. There were almost certainly more such collections, as statements of other rulers suggest the custom was widespread.{{sfnp|Driver|Miles|1952|p=9}} The similarities between these law collections make it tempting to assume a consistent underlying legal system.{{sfnp|Driver|Miles|1952|p=9}} As with the Code of Hammurabi, however, it is difficult to interpret the purpose and underlying legal systems of these earlier collections, prompting numerous scholars to question whether this should be attempted.{{sfnmp|1a1=Kraus|1y=1960|1pp=295–296|2a1=Bottéro|2y=1992|2p=181|3a1=Roth|3y=1995b|3p=13}} Extant collections include:

* The [[Code of Ur-Nammu]] of [[Ur]].
* The [[Code of Lipit-Ishtar]] of [[Isin]].
* The [[Laws of Eshnunna]] (written by [[Bilalama]] or by [[Dadusha]]).
* The "Laws of X," which, rather than a distinct collection, may be the end of the Code of Ur-Nammu.{{Sfnp|Roth|1995a|p=36}}

There are additionally thousands of documents from the practice of law, from before and during the Old Babylonian period. These documents include contracts, judicial rulings, letters on legal cases, and reform documents such as that of [[Urukagina]], king of Lagash in the mid-3rd millennium BC, whose reforms combatted corruption. Mesopotamia has the most comprehensive surviving legal corpus from before the [[Digest of Justinian|'' Digest'' of Justinian]], even compared to those from [[ancient Greece]] and [[ancient Rome|Rome]].{{sfnp|Driver|Miles|1952|pp=56–57}}