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This is a plaster cast (or reproduction) of the Laws of Hammurabi. The original stela (made of diorite) is in the collection of the Musee du Louvre, Paris. The original stela was one of several copies of the laws produced during the reign of King Hammurabi of Babylon (1792-1750 BCE). It is inscribed in cuneiform with a prologue, almost 300 laws (or legal verdicts), and an epilogue. At the top of the stela is a relief showing Hammurabi receiving the emblems of kingship from the sun-god, Shamash, god of justice.

Relief Fragment of King Ashurnasirpal II

Name: Cast of the Laws of Hammurabi

Material: Plaster

Size: 2.25 m (7 ft 4.56 in) X 67 cm (2 ft 2.37 in) x 46 cm (1 ft 6.11 in)

Date: 1792 BCE - 1750 BCE

Place of Origin: Susa, Iran

Location: Oriental Institute Museum, Chicago. C478 (Original in the Musée du Louvre, Paris, France.)

Registration # and Source: Oriental Institute Museum. OIM C478 (Original in the Musee du Louvre).
Link to resource (accessed May 7, 2010).
For more information: The Musée du Louvre. Link to resource (accessed June 21, 2010)

Jennie Myers

Research Associate, University of Chicago