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Code of Ur-Nammu

Also Known As Ur-Nammu Law Code
Ancient and Near Eastern Law Codes
Code of Ur-Nammu glyph

The Code of Ur-Nammu is the oldest surviving written law code, issued in Sumer around 2100 BCE under the Third Dynasty of Ur. Its surviving prologue frames the king as protector of the weak against the powerful, and its casuistic if-then legal form became the template most later ancient Near Eastern codes followed. Unlike the later lex talionis approach of the Code of Hammurabi, most of its provisions impose monetary compensation in silver for bodily injury, reserving death for murder, robbery and adultery.

Facts
Era
c. 2100 to 2050 BCE 1
Promulgated By
King Ur-Nammu of Ur, possibly completed under his son Shulgi 1
Identity
Symbol
A clay tablet inscribed in cuneiform with the oldest surviving written law code. 1
Legal Status
Legal Status (category)
Historical / No Longer in Force 1
Era
Era (category)
Ancient (BCE) 1
Connections

Associated With

Code of Lipit-Ishtar, Codes

The Code of Lipit-Ishtar stands between the Code of Ur-Nammu and the Code of Hammurabi in the Mesopotamian codification tradition, following Ur-Nammu's casuistic form.

Source Code of Lipit-Ishtar (Wikipedia)

Authored By

Ur-Nammu, Jurists
Source Code of Ur-Nammu (Wikipedia)

In Legal System

Cuneiform law, Legal Systems
Source Code of Ur-Nammu (Wikipedia)
Sources
1. Code of Ur-Nammu (Wikipedia)
Wikipedia
  • Authorship and Dating section
    It was written by the Sumerian king Ur-Nammu (reign circa 2112-2094 BCE) or his son Shulgi of Ur.
  • lead section
    It is from Mesopotamia and is written on tablets, in the Sumerian language.
  • Lead section, legal-status
    The Code of Ur-Nammu is the oldest known surviving law code.
  • In Legal System: Cuneiform law, Lead
    It is from Mesopotamia and is written on tablets, in the Sumerian language.
  • Authored By: Ur-Nammu, Infobox writer field: Ur-Nammu
  • In Group: Mesopotamian, Anatolian and Egyptian Royal Codes and Edicts, Introduction, sentence 1
    The Code of Ur-Nammu is the oldest known surviving law code.
View the Source
Code of Lipit-Ishtar (Wikipedia)
WikipediaAssociated With: Code of Lipit-Ishtar, Historical Significance section
Quote, Associated With: Code of Lipit-Ishtar, Historical Significance section
the second-oldest known extant legal code after the Code of Ur-Nammu... it paved the way for the famous later Code of Hammurabi.
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