Ancient Mesopotamia: Law in Sculpture

Roy King

September 21, 2021

Word Count: 1832

 King 1

One of the cornerstones of

any society is the rule of law, a set of

codes to govern conduct within a

civilization. This was just as true

more than 3,000 years ago as it is

today. A society cannot function

without a code of laws that govern

the conduct of its citizens and their

interactions with each other. This was

so apparent to the ancient people of Babylon that they inscribed their laws on a large pillar or

stele. This piece of ancient sculpture is known as the Code of Hammurabi. This large column

shows great carving ability, especially for the time, as well as a highly advanced written

language known as cuneiform. The column contains a relief at the top as well as three sections of

script describing the laws and rules that govern the people. This elaborate piece of sculpture is

not only an impressive feat of ancient craftsmanship but it is also an important window into the

values of the people of the time.

The first step that must be taken to study this piece of art is to analyze its form, how it

was made, and the basic principles of design that it utilizes. The Code of Hammurabi is carved

into a large monolithic piece of basalt with a cylindrical base and then a high relief carved into

the upper portion of the column. The various laws and codes are hand carved into the column.

The cuneiform symbols are very small and run in perfect horizontal lines. They show an

immense amount of care to carve them perfectly and to carve them deep enough so that they will

be able to survive long after the scribes who chiseled them were dead. Above the script there is a
 King 2

relief carved into the column that shows an impressive level of precision and craftsmanship. The

figures are carved with very intricate details and are proportional for the most part. The

positioning of the figures makes it so that their faces cannot be observed but from what is visible

they seem to be anatomically correct. The relief also demonstrates use of the concept of

hierarchy of scale: although individually the characters are proportional one is much bigger than

the other. One of the characters is seated and one is standing but they are both the same height.

This means that the character seated would be 30 to 40 percent taller than the standing figure

were they both to be standing. This is a use of hierarchy of scale because it emphasizes the

importance of the seated character by making them much bigger than the other character. The

clothing of the figures is also carved with great detail. For example, the folds in the robe of the

left figure are very intricately carved and look very realistic. Although the relief is not painted

and probably never was, there is a clear focal point in the carving. One of the figures is handing

the other an object and this exchange occurs in the very center of the carving and is clearly the

focal point of the work. Overall the piece shows impressive intricacy and craftsmanship

especially for the time it was created and the relatively primitive tools that would have been

used.

The second important area of the piece to study in order to understand it is what it

actually depicts. The piece has many different parts and they are all very intricate and contain a

great deal of symbolism, the first of these being the high relief at the top of the column. The

relief depicts two figures, one seated and one standing. The standing figure is King Hammurabi,

the leader of the Babylonian people during the time the code was written. The seated figure is the

Babylonian sun god Shamash. As discussed above, the seated figure (Shamash) is much larger

than the king as an expression of his divinity and power even over King Hammurabi, one of the
 King 3

most powerful people in the world at the time. There are multiple symbolic elements in the

relief: the headdress, throne, mountains, and sun rays directly around the depiction of Shamash

are all symbols of the sun god’s power and divinity. As discussed above, the focal point of the

whole piece is the staff that is being handed to Hammurabi by Shamash. This staff is a symbol of

the power to rule the people of Babylon. The Sun God Shamash is also the Babylonian god of

justice so it is fitting that he would be the one to present Hammurabi with power to create the

laws of the land. The entire point of the relief is to show that Hammurabi’s power to create the

laws comes directly from a deity. In a way the relief is saying that Hammurabi is acting as a

mortal extension of the power and will of Shamash. Below the relief are the laws and codes of

Hammurabi. This section is split into three parts, the prologue, the laws, and the epilogue. The

prologue explains what is depicted in the relief and how the laws were decided upon and created.

The second section includes the 282 rules that make up the legal code of Babylon. For the most

part the laws were not actually dictated by Hammurabi but are rather a recording of precedent.

The majority of the codes are summations of rulings given previously by the Babylonian king or

legal officials working for king. Lastly, the epilogue explains why the legal code is important and

again makes a point to espouse the divinity and power of Shamash and King Hammurabi.

Another essential thing to understand when interpreting this piece of art is to discuss why

it was created and what it was used for. The Code of Hammurabi was created for one obvious

reason but there are several other less obvious reasons that were certainly important in the

decision to create this piece. The main apparent function of this piece was to serve as a

permanent record of the laws of the people. As the Babylonian empire grew in size and power it

would have become difficult to keep the legal system consistent across the empire. For this

reason it was important to standardize the legal code as much as possible and the Code of
 King 4

Hammurabi did exactly that. This, however, was not the only reason for its creation; it was

perhaps just as much a testament to the power of Hammurabi as it was a code of laws. If the

function of this piece was merely to serve as a record of the laws there would be no need for the

relief at the top or even the epilogue and prologue carved into the column. The purpose of this

piece was also to show the power bestowed on Hammurabi that gave him the right to rule

Babylon. The relief shows that Hammurabi believed himself and his actions to be ordained and

facilitated by the god Shamash. He was not only recording the laws of his people but he was also

showing why he had the power to make those laws and to rule in general.

The fourth major piece of the puzzle in understanding the Code of Hammurabi is to

understand the context of its creation. This piece was made by the Babylonian people between

1792 and 1750 BCE. Although the Babylonian civilization was fairly advanced for the time, they

still didn't have very advanced tools for crafting and carving. The column is made of a

monolithic piece of basalt and carved into an almost perfect cylinder. This would be a challenge

to do today much less with primitive tools and a limited understanding of the tensile strength of

different types of stone. Basalt is similar to granite, very durable but also very difficult to carve.

This shows how much effort was put into this project and also how important these laws were to

the people or at least to the aristocracy. Although the Babylonians may not have been extremely

advanced technologically, intellectually they were exceedingly developed. In fact, this is the first

recorded set of laws that has been found to date. Theirs was an exceptionally advanced

civilization politically and socially. This stele is also not the only place where these laws were

recorded. It is theorized that a recreation of the 282 rules were recorded on large tablets and hung

around the city. This would have been a groundbreaking feat socially and politically as well as
 King 5

artistically. The Babylonian society was founded on the principles of law and philosophy and

these laws are just further evidence of that.

The last thing that must be done to fully understand this piece of art is to compare it to

another similar piece of art from another culture and/or civilization. An interesting comparison

can be made between this piece of art and the Lamassu from the Citadel of Sargon II. There are

several significant similarities between these two pieces, the primary one being their use of

cuneiform. The Law Code of Hammurabi has all of the laws written in cuneiform while the

Lamassu has an inscription in cuneiform that describes the efforts of the King to found a city of

great power and majesty. This use of inscriptions shows the difference in values between the two

civilizations with one being focused on dominance through military might and the other one

being more intellectual and focused on power through knowledge and philosophy. Another

similarity between the two pieces is the intricacy with which they are carved as well as some of

the symbols used. An example of similar symbols is the horned crown that is worn by both the

Lamassu and Shamash. This is a symbol of power and divinity and it is no surprise that both of

these creatures of majesty and power are depicted with this type of headdress. In addition to

these similarities, both of the pieces of art are carved with similar intricacy and craftsmanship.

Although the Lamassu shows this precision on a much larger scale it is still present in both of the

pieces. The final major similarity between these two is their function. As discussed above, one of

the primary reasons for the creation of the Law Code of Hammurabi was to express the power

and predominance of Hammurabi as king. The Lamassu are also symbols of great power

although they do represent power in a different way. To conclude, the form, function, and to a

lesser extent, content, of these two pieces share many similarities including symbolism and

marvelous craftsmanship.
King 6
 King 7

Works Cited

German, Dr. Senta, and Dr. Senta German. “Law Code Stele of King Hammurabi.” Smarthistory

The Center for Public Art History, Smarthistory, smarthistory.org/hammurabi/.

University of Chicago. “Search Our COLLECTIONS: The Oriental Institute of the University of

Chicago.” Search Our Collections | The Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago,

University of Chicago, 2019,

oi-idb.uchicago.edu/id/10443a90-e395-4a2f-a81f-75a3b2312c1c.