Around 1894 BCE, an Amorite called Sumu-abu seized power in the Akkadian city of Babylon, founding the first dynasty of Babylon. At that time, Babylon was no more than a minor city in a highly unstable area, but over the next 100 years, the Babylonian kings consolidated their position, and when the sixth king of the dynasty, Hammurabi, came to the throne around 1792 BCE, he inherited a secure state with growing influence.
Hammurabi was an energetic young man with an outstanding gift for diplomacy and military strategy. During the 42 years of his reign, he transformed Babylon into the preeminent city of Mesopotamia and created an empire that extended from Assyria in the north to the Persian Gulf in the south. Arts and sciences flourished, making it the “golden age” of the Old Empire.
Initially, Hammurabi devoted himself to building temples and canals and establishing his code of law. For several years, he then concentrated on building cordial relations with neighboring rulers. In the 29th year of his reign, he switched tactics, changing to an aggressive policy of extending his empire by military means. In 1762 BCE, he conquered Larsa. He followed this by defeating the kings of Elam, Mari, and Eshnunna and two powerful kings in northern Mesopotamia, Shamshi-Adad I and Ishme-Dagan. He then annexed the whole of Sumer. In the north, he took control of Ashur and Nineveh, claiming the title “King of Sumer and Akkad.”
Hammurabi’s influence on the history of Mesopotamia was immense. Besides building a vast empire, he also made Babylon such an important Mesopotamian center that it remained the leading city of western Asia long after his death in 1750 BCE.
This relief of a bull, created in the sixth century BCE, once adorned the walls of Babylon. The Babylonians believed that bulls were sacred animals.
According to the sources that have survived, Hammurabi was a fair and just ruler. From a central government in the city of Babylon, he cared for his subjects and defended the weak, even the inhabitants of two cities he destroyed—Mari and Eshnunna. He treated the people who lived there leniently and built new homes for those who had lost their dwellings. He took a personal interest in the affairs of the empire, supervising such matters as irrigation and agriculture, tax collection, and the construction of many buildings, especially temples.
World History
