The Code

The prologue to The Code of Hammurabi fills up about three pages of text. Within these three pages contains praise of Hammurabi and his accomplishments. In order for the people to approve of Hammurabi’s right to rule, comparisons and exaggerations are made to show how Hammurabi is an influential and just ruler who can provide Babylon with follow-able laws.

When just observing the aesthetic features of the stela, in which the Laws were inscribed, the narrator states the visual impact magnified the authority of the composition. The stela was large and five columns were used just for the prologue, showing how the structure even shows the importance and great significance of these laws. The laws were publically displayed to show Hammurabi’s “righteous and just rule, to being consolation to anyone seeking justice, and to serve as an example for future rulers “(74). Therefore, the importance of the laws in daily life and in providing justification of Hammurabi as a just ruler is shown through the visual aspects of the stela.

The prologue, itself, also provides justification for Hammurabi as a ruler of his people. Associations with gods and how they appointed him, his role as a protector, and his ideological duties are all mentioned. It seems to be a narcisstic text, but it could have also been the way the people were accepting of the rules. Exaggerations are made, showing Hammurabi as greater than a human being. For example, the prologue narrates him as “he who has mastered all wisdom."

All in all, Hammurabi was mentioned in this way in order for the people to be in his favor.