Hammurapi
Definition
Proper noun A Babylonian king, the sixth ruler of the First Babylonian Dynasty, renowned for establishing one of the oldest and most complete written legal codes in history.
Examples of Usage
- As a subject: Hammurapi unified Mesopotamia under Babylonian rule.
- In possessive form: Hammurapi's Code is a cornerstone of ancient legal history.
- As an object: Historians have studied Hammurapi for centuries.
Advanced Usage
- "The Code of Hammurapi": This specific phrase refers to the stele and the collection of 282 laws inscribed upon it, which established standards for commercial interactions and set fines and punishments.
- "The Laws of Hammurapi": An alternative term for his legal code, often used in academic and historical contexts.
Variants and Related Words
- Hammurabi: The more common and widely accepted modern spelling of the name.
- Codex Hammurabi: A Latin-derived term sometimes used synonymously with "Code of Hammurapi."
Synonyms
- Lawgiver: A person who draws up and enacts a code of laws for a nation or people.
- Monarch: A sovereign head of state, especially a king, queen, or emperor.
Related Phrases and Concepts
- "An eye for an eye": A principle often associated with, but not exclusive to, the retaliatory justice found in Hammurapi's Code.
- Stele of Hammurapi: The diorite pillar on which the code was inscribed, discovered in 1901.
Noun
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Babylonian king who codified the laws of Sumer and Mesopotamia (died 1750 BC)