Code of Hammurabi Stele (1792 – 1750 BCE)
This stele dates back to the rule of Hammurabi, roughly 1792 BCE to 1792 BCE. Considering its age, the Akkadian writing on the stone remains remarkably intact. The stele, standing 2.25 meters tall (7 feet, 4 inches) and 70 centimeters (27.6 inches wide), isn’t the oldest set of laws ever written, but it is the most comprehensive. The stele contains 282 laws, regulations for commercial interactions, and guidelines for fines and punishments if someone decided to ignore those laws.
Theft is dealt with severely, in the code’s “If-then” format. Among the strict rules of the Code, if anyone steals the minor son of another, then they shall be put to death. If a doctor kills a rich patient, then his hand is cut off. If the they kill a patient that is a slave, the doctor pays a fine but gets to keep their hands.
