When did Hammurabi ascend to the throne of Babylon?
Hammurabi ascended to the throne of Babylon in 1792 BC. He inherited a kingdom that was geographically insignificant and politically vulnerable at the time of his accession.
Common questions about Hammurabi
Short answers, pulled from the story.
What year did Hammurabi conquer Larsa and control the lower Mesopotamian plain?
Hammurabi conquered Larsa and gained control of the entire lower Mesopotamian plain by 1762 BC. This military campaign followed an alliance with the king of Larsa to crush the Elamites before Hammurabi turned on his former ally.
How many laws are in the Code of Hammurabi and what language was it written in?
The Code of Hammurabi is a collection of 282 laws inscribed on a stele and written in Akkadian. Akkadian was the daily language of Babylon and replaced Sumerian during Hammurabi's language reforms.
When was the stele containing the Code of Hammurabi rediscovered and where is it located now?
The stele was rediscovered in 1901 in Iran and is now in the Louvre Museum in Paris. It was originally removed to the Elamite capital of Susa after being plundered by the Elamite king Shutruk-Nahhunte I.
Who was the German Assyriologist that argued the Mosaic Laws were copied from the Code of Hammurabi in 1902?
Friedrich Delitzsch was the German Assyriologist who gave a lecture at the Sing-Akademie zu Berlin in January 1902 arguing that the Mosaic Laws of the Old Testament were directly copied off the Code of Hammurabi.