
by Ancient Mesopotamian (Unknown), -1754
Mesopotamian The Code of Hammurabi, carved around 1754 BCE, preserves one of the earliest known written legal codes. This diorite stele stands over two meters tall, its upper section showing King Hammurabi receiving authority from Shamash, the sun god of justice. Below, 282 laws are inscribed in Akkadian cuneiform covering family, property, trade, and labor.
The laws follow the famous principle of lex talionis: "an eye for an eye." Punishments varied by social class, with harsher penalties for crimes against nobles than commoners. The code reveals much about Babylonian society: arranged marriages, divorce rights, medical malpractice, even wages for various professions.
French archaeologists discovered the stele at Susa, Iran, in 1901-1902. An Elamite king had carried it off as war booty around 1150 BCE. The Louvre now displays it as a monument to ancient jurisprudence.

Ancient Roman (Unknown), -100
Louvre, Paris, Paris

Gerard ter Borch
Louvre, Paris, Paris

Jacques-Louis David
Louvre, Paris, Paris

Bernardino Luini
Louvre, Paris, Paris
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