The Stele of Hammurabi is perhaps the most renowned artifact from ancient Mesopotamia. It was created between 1792 and 1750 BCE during the Old Babylonian period of Mesopotamian art. On it is inscribed the famous Code of Hammurabi, one of the earliest written legal codes. Apart from written text, the stele contains a scene, carved in relief at the top. The artwork depicts the sun-god Shamash giving his authority to Hammurabi to dictate his law code to the public. The Stele of Hammurabi was discovered in 1901-02 and it resides in the Louvre Museum in Paris. Know more about it, including its discovery, description and analysis.
Table of Contents
The Key Questions
Hammurabi was the 6th ruler of the First Dynasty of Babylon, reigning from around 1792 to 1750 BCE. He conducted major building work in Babylon, expanding it from a small town into a great city. He also carried out a series of conquests and by the end of his reign, he had brought all of southern Mesopotamia and part of Assyria under Babylonian rule. Hammurabi is considered one of the greatest Babylonian rulers.
Hammurabi enacted a set of laws to govern his empire, now renowned as the Code of Hammurabi. It was one of the earliest and most complete written legal codes. The Code of Hammurabi contains as many as 300 laws that discuss a wide range of subjects, including homicide, assault, divorce, debt, adoption, etc. It was also among the first codes to establish the presumption of innocence, the principle that one is considered innocent unless proven guilty.
S1 – Babylonian Art Overview
S2 – Discovery
The Stele of Hammurabi was discovered in 1901-02 during an archaeological expedition at the ancient Elamite city of Susa in modern-day Iran. The expedition was led by French mining engineer and archaeologist Jacques de Morgan. The stele was found in three pieces and later reconstructed. It is the most complete copy of the Law Code of Hammurabi, though still over eighty lines are missing.
The city of Susa is more than 250 miles from the center of Hammurabi’s kingdom. It is believed that the stele was brought to Susa as spoils of war, likely by the Elamite king Shutruk-Nahhunte in the mid-12th century BCE. It was found in a workroom indicating that the Elamites intended to add more lines to it. The stele resides in the Louvre Museum in Paris and is known as the Louvre Stele to differentiate it from other versions of the law code.
S3 – Description
Hammurabi is renowned for his code of law. His stele, which incorporates his law code, is unsurprisingly the most famous artwork from ancient Mesopotamia. It is a monolithic pillar with a height of more than 7 ft. 6 in. It is made from black basalt and has been meticulously polished giving it an almost metallic sheen.
Apart from his law code, Stele of Hammurabi lists his accomplishments and, at its top, a scene is carved in relief. The scene comprises of two figures: Hammurabi on the left, who is standing with his arms raised; and the sun-god Shamash on the right, who is seated and enthroned. His seat is shaped like a temple while his crown is multi-tiered and horned.
Sun rays emerge out of the shoulders of Shamash, and he extends his hand toward Hammurabi. In his hand are the rope ring and the measuring rod of kingship. The rod and the ring were used as icons of justice in Mesopotamia for almost two hundred years. The god is thus displaying to the king the tools to lay just foundations.
This gesture indicates the purpose of the scene. Shamash, who is also god of justice, is giving authority to the Hammurabi to dictate his law code to the public. Hammurabi has been presented as a mortal. This may be induced from his attire and headdress. He holds his right hand up in a gesture of worship.
S4 – Analysis
Shamash is identified as divine by the stylized horned crown he wears while the rays emitting from his shoulders indicate that he is the sun god. Shamash is the god of justice who illuminates the true situation. He has a saw with which he opens the mountains at sunrise and sunset. The saw also helps him separate truth from falsehood.
Though Hammurabi is smaller in size to the sun-god, he stands alone without the need of an interpreter. This implies his close relationship to the god. This can also be inferred from the fact that there is no altar or minor deity to separate the king from the god, as is the norm in earlier Mesopotamian artworks.
The spaces of the sacred and the secular are merged in the Hammurabi Stele. There is nothing about Hammurabi that indicates he is at the same level of the deity like the throne in the Stele of Naram-Sin. Moreover, he doesn’t carry any weapon despite the stele listing his militaristic achievements. Physically and metaphorically, Hammurabi is just a mortal. Nonetheless, the artwork suggests that he has entered the divine world.
S5 – Mesopotamia Art Purpose
Main Sources
S2:-
Scott, Nick. (May 18, 2023). “What Was the Code of Hammurabi and Why Was It Written?”. TheCollector.
HISTORY.com Editors. (Nov 9, 2009). “Code of Hammurabi”. A&E Television Networks.
S3:-
Janson, H. W., Davies, Penelope J. E. “Janson’s History of Art: The Western Tradition”. pp34.
Bahrani, Zainab. (2017). “Mesopotamia – Ancient Art and Architecture”. Thames & Hudson. pp179, 180.
Slanski, Kathryn E. “The Law of Hammurabi and Its Audience”. Yale Journal of Law & the Humanities. pp106.
S4:-
Slanski, Kathryn E. “The Law of Hammurabi and Its Audience”. Yale Journal of Law & the Humanities. pp106.
Janson, H. W., Davies, Penelope J. E. “Janson’s History of Art: The Western Tradition”. pp34.
Bahrani, Zainab. (2017). “Mesopotamia – Ancient Art and Architecture”. Thames & Hudson. pp180.