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Imagine standing in a busy city square almost 4,000 years ago.

People walk through narrow streets made of sun-baked bricks.

Shopkeepers sell grain, cloth, and clay pots.

Children play in the dust while oxen pull carts loaded with goods.

At the center of the square stands a tall black stone covered in strange wedge-shaped marks. People gather around it, pointing and reading.

It is new and very important. This stone is the code of Hamarabi, one of the first written law

codes in human history.

Hamarabi was the king of Babylon, an ancient city in Mesopotamia, in what is now Iraq.

He ruled from about 1792 BC to 1750 BCE.

When Hamarabi became king, Babylon was just one of many small cities, but Hamarabi was a strong and clever leader.

He used both war and diplomacy to unite nearby city states under his rule.

By the end of his reign, he controlled most of Mesopotamia and created what we now call the Babylonian Empire.

But Hamarabi wasn't just a warrior. He believed a king should care for his people, like a shepherd cares for his flock.

He built canals to bring water to farms, improved roads, and supported trade.

He also believed that in order to have a strong society, there needed to be clear rules, and that's where the code of Hamarabi comes in.

The code of Hamarabi is a set of 282 laws. These laws were carved into a tall stone pillar called Esteli, and placed in a public place so everyone could see them.

At the top of the stone is a carving of

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