Code of Hammurabi

“[T]hen Anu and Bel called by name me, Hammurabi, the exalted prince, who feared God, to bring about the rule of righteousness in the land, to destroy the wicked and the evil-doers; so that the strong should not harm the weak; so that I should rule […] like Shamash, and enlighten the land, to further the well-being of mankind.”

The self-serving propaganda in this quote, taken from near the beginning of the Prologue, may sound boastful and inflated to modern ears, but it was common and expected for royal texts of the time. Kings in the ancient Near East regularly attributed their vocations to a divine origin, presenting themselves as mediators between the gods and the citizen of the country. Here two primary creator-gods are invoked first, and then Hammurabi presents his mission as being linked to the role of Shamash, who was both the god of the sun and of justice (See: Key Figures).

“Hammurabi, the prince, called of Bel am I, making riches and increase […] [W]ho conquered the four quarters of the world, made great the name of Babylon, rejoiced the heart of Marduk.”

Similarly to the quote above, this passage establishes Hammurabi’s divine patronage. It also emphasizes his accomplishments and virtues, pointing to his successful economic policies, his expansive conquests adding to Babylon’s empire, and his sense of loyal piety to his patron-deity Marduk (See: Key Figures).

“When Marduk sent me to rule over men, to give the protection of right to the land, I did right and righteousness […] and brought about the well-being of the oppressed.”

This quote, also from the Prologue, attributes Hammurabi’s right to reign as coming from Marduk himself, but with a particular mission in view: To protect righteousness. Hammurabi interprets this mission as including not only an idea of justice in the abstract, but as specifically ordered toward assisting the oppressed in the land.