Mind-Benders of Mesopotamian History
The oldest law code isn't Hammurabi's
The earliest known law code is not Hammurabi's but one attributed to Ur-Namma of Ur (possibly issued by his son Shulgi), written around 2100 BCE — roughly three centuries earlier. Its surviving clauses already set fixed penalties, making it about 4,100 years old.
How we know
Code of Ur-Nammu c. 2100 BCE (Middle Chronology; Ur-Namma reign c. 2112–2094 BCE), ~3 centuries before Hammurabi's code c. 1754 BCE.
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