What does the Stele of Hammurabi say?

Mesopotamia
Written By The Art Newbie
The Stele of Hammurabi, inscribed with the Babylonian law code

The black basalt stele of Hammurabi showing the king receiving laws from Shamash, displayed at the Louvre Museum.

 

Is this just an old law list or political theater in stone? The Stele of Hammurabi is both. It is a long legal text that frames justice as a gift from a god, and it is a carved image that shows a king receiving authority to apply it. In short, the stele says: justice is public, measurable, and divinely backed. We will read the text’s structure in plain words, translate a handful of key rules, then decode the scene at the top.

Quick answer: The inscription has a prologue that explains why Hammurabi rules, a long body of laws about trade, family, injury, and property, and an epilogue that blesses keepers and curses breakers. The relief above shows the king before Shamash, the sun god of justice. If you want object-focused details while you read, keep our Stele of Hammurabi analysis open.

 
 

What it is and how to read it — prologue, laws, epilogue

Is the stele a single speech? It reads like one, but it works as a three-part script carved in cuneiform. A stele is a carved standing stone for public texts. This one is dark basalt with a relief at the top: Hammurabi stands before Shamash, the sun god. Shamash wears rays and sits on a throne. The king raises his hand in respect and receives the rod and ring, which most scholars read as measuring tools of justice. The image sets the tone. The text explains it.

Below the scene, dense lines of cuneiform run around the stone. Cuneiform is wedge-shaped writing pressed into clay; on basalt it is incised rather than pressed. The prologue says the gods chose Hammurabi to establish justice and protect the weak. It names cities and deities to anchor his claim. The laws that follow cover ordinary life: prices, wages, contracts, loans, theft, irrigation, family agreements, inheritance, injury, and property disputes. The epilogue closes the circle with blessings for rulers who keep the laws and curses for anyone who erases or ignores them. The stone is a message to the present and a warning to the future.

 

Definition
 Stele of Hammurabi: A basalt monument with laws and a divine scene.

 

Read the relief first. Then move through prologue, sample laws, and epilogue. The parts repeat one idea: public law with divine sanction.

Close-up of Hammurabi receiving the law from Shamash

The upper relief of the Stele of Hammurabi, showing the king before the sun god Shamash handing him the rod and ring of justice.

 

What the laws actually say — key rules in plain words

Is it only an eye-for-an-eye code? Sometimes, but much of it is contracts and fairness. The laws try to make everyday exchanges predictable. They also show that penalties can shift with social status, which is hard but honest to face.

Start with trade and contracts. Merchants and agents must settle accounts with receipts and witnesses. False claims bring penalties. If a boatman damages cargo, he pays for the loss. Property and theft come next. Stolen goods require restitution. Harboring thieves is punished. If you neglect a canal and your fields flood your neighbor, you pay the damage and help fix the banks. That is liability and repair in simple terms.

Prices and wages appear throughout. Builders, surgeons, and ferry crews have set fees. Risk and skill matter. A hard job pays more. Family law sets rules for marriage agreements, dowries, divorce, and inheritance. There are protections and limits for wives and children, as well as penalties for false accusations. Injury law includes lex talionis in some cases, but fines or compensation appear often, and penalties vary by status. Procedure matters too. Oaths, witnesses, and in some cases ordeals decide facts. Judges who reverse their own decisions must pay a fine. That is accountability for officials written into stone.

 

Mini-FAQ

  • Does it only say “eye for an eye”? No. Many cases use fines, fees, and proof.

  • Who was protected? Ideally the weak from the strong, within status-based limits.

 

If you remember just one thing, remember this: most of the code is contracts, rates, and proof. It aims for predictable outcomes in everyday life.

 

The image at the top — king, god, and the tools of rule

Why carve a picture above a law? To show law as divine gift before you even read a word. Shamash sits, rays shining, with a horned crown and a layered robe. Hammurabi stands, one hand raised. Between them is the rod and ring. Many read these not as decorative regalia but as symbols of fair measure. The rod suggests straightness and length. The ring suggests the circle used to mark boundaries and standards. In short, the tools that make measures honest.

Clothing and posture reinforce the message. There is no battle, no panic, no drama. The scene shows controlled order. Authority looks calm because law should be calm. Placing the relief at the very top guides the eye. Viewers who cannot read the text still understand the claim: the god authorizes, the king applies. Then the writing underlines it for those who study the details.

The pairing of picture and prose matters. Image frames law. Law confirms image. This loop makes the stele persuasive in a public place. It is not just a set of rules. It is a case for why these rules count. For an object-focused walkthrough of the carving, layout, and condition, open the Stele of Hammurabi analysis.

Detail of Hammurabi and Shamash scene on the Babylonian law code

The scene carved atop the Code of Hammurabi stele, symbolizing divine authority behind Babylonian law.

 

Afterlives and reading today — from Susa to the Louvre

Why is a Babylonian law stone in Paris? Because monuments travel when empires do. The stele was carried to Susa in antiquity, likely as a trophy. It was later found in fragments, then reassembled and displayed in the Louvre. The language is Akkadian written in cuneiform signs. Scholars compare the code with earlier and later collections to see what changed and what stayed. Across that comparison, this stele stands out for public display and for how tightly it links law and divine authority.

How should we read it now? Start with the image so the claim is clear. Move to the prologue to hear the mission. Sample laws from different areas to see how the system balances price, proof, and penalty. Close with the epilogue to feel the weight of the blessings and curses. Then step back and place it in the larger visual and architectural system of the period. Our hub on Mesopotamian art and architecture gives that map.

Texts lived in buildings and on tablets too. If you want the making side, read cuneiform tablets: how they were made. The writing system and the public monument are two faces of the same wish: make rules stick.

 

Conclusion

The Stele of Hammurabi says that justice is public, measurable, and divinely backed. The prologue claims a mission to protect the weak. The laws spell out contracts, prices, family rules, injuries, and property in practical terms. The epilogue blesses keepers and curses breakers. Above, the king receives the tools of fair measure from a god of justice. If this guide helped you read the parts together, continue with our Stele of Hammurabi analysis, then zoom out to Mesopotamian art & architecture and the world of cuneiform tablets.

 
 
 

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