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Code of Ur-Nammu
Also Known As Ur-Nammu Law Code
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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
Promulgated ByKing Ur-Nammu of Ur, possibly completed under his son Shulgi 1 Cross-Tradition Connections
Associated With
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.
Sources
1. Code of Ur-Nammu (Wikipedia)
WikipediaAuthorship and Dating sectionQuote, Authorship and Dating section
It was written by the Sumerian king Ur-Nammu (reign circa 2112-2094 BCE) or his son Shulgi of Ur.
Code of Lipit-Ishtar (Wikipedia)
WikipediaAssociated With: Code of Lipit-Ishtar, Historical Significance sectionQuote, 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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