Hammurabi (White Sandstone + Bronze Coating)

Hammurabi (c. 1810 BC – c. 1750 BC) was the sixth king of the First Babylonian Dynasty of Amorite origin. He reigned from c. 1792 BC to c. 1750 BC according to the middle chronology. Hammurabi was preceded by his father Sin-Muballit, who abdicated due to ill health. During his reign, Hammurabi conquered Elam and the city-states of Larsa, Eshnunna, and Mari, and brought almost all of Mesopotamia under Babylonian rule.

Hammurabi is best known for his Code of Hammurabi, which he claimed to have been inspired by the Babylonian god of justice, Shamash. Unlike earlier Sumerian laws, such as the Code of Ur-Nammu, which focused on compensating the victim of a crime, the Code of Hammurabi was one of the first to place a greater emphasis on physical punishment for the perpetrator. It prescribed specific punishments for each crime and was among the first to establish the presumption of innocence. Although its punishments were extremely harsh by modern standards, it was intended to place restrictions on what a wronged person could consent to in punishment.