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[Intro Piano Music]
We're in the Louvre and we are looking at
one of the most important objects in the entire museum.
This is the Law Code Stele of King Hammurabi.
Hammurabi was a Babylonian King that is known for having created
the most important set of legal codes from the ancient Near East.
Which perhaps predate the legal codes,
the commandments of the Old Testament.
And, in fact, some scholars think that
this may have been a source for the biblical texts.
And we see at the top
Hammurabi himself receiving the laws from the god Shamash.
Shamash was a god associated with both the sun and with law.
We can tell it is Shamash
because of the horns that radiate from his helmet, from his cap
as well as the rays of light that come from his shoulders.
But more important he is seated on a throne showing his authority
and his feet are on the mountains.
That's right. Those scales represent the mountains from which the god emerges.
Now it is extraordinary
because the king of Babylon, Hammurabi, is almost his equal
not quite his height - not quite - but he is addressing him directly.
But he is standing and the god is seated.
And he is receiving from the god both a ring and a sceptre -
-- symbols of power. - right.
Under this wonderful relief and we should say that
this is made out of basalt which is very hard.
A stone that comes from volcanic action - and it's black.
You see inscribed the entire stele covered in very small registers -
-- three pieces of writing.
The first describing the kings investiture,
that is his right to be king.
The next a kind of ode to his glory.
And then finally, and mostly,
over 300 specific laws that actually governed Babylonia.
The laws are all written using cuneiform in the Akkadian language
and they're written in a language that was very accessible.
Hammurabi really wanted this to be a legacy
so that everyone could read this and understand.
And it was really important that people understood
because if they broke these laws
the punishments were really serious.
So all the the laws were written -
you know If you do this -
if you disobey your parents in this way,
if you commit such and such a crime,
this will be your punishment --
so it outlines actions and their punishments.
What's really crucial is this is at the very beginning of a tradition
that we still hold until today.
Which is to say that the laws are uniform
and that there are specific guidelines
and it doesn't matter what your caste is, right?
What your place in society is,
this is the law.
And also an idea that laws are somehow immutable and divine.
Right? This is an important Judeo-Christian idea, too
that the laws are somehow above humanity.
That they are divine and that is clearly represented here.
It is extraordinary that this has come down to us from so long ago.
This is almost 4000 years old.
I presume that is partially
because the stone is so hard.
Well I think that's right but I think it's also something
that has been seen as enormously important and cherished - yeah.
[Closing piano music]