Early steps to greatness

When discussing King Hammurabi the subject tends to immediately lead to his famous code, known as the Code of Hammurabi. Although probably one of his greater achievements, Marc Van De Mieroop reveals more about the great King Hammurabi than what comes from the history books out of high school. Van De Mieroop starts off by telling us of the early years of Hammurabi’s reign, which would become an outstanding forty-three years of ruling. (1) These early years reveal much historical detail of what Hammurabi’s world looked like and how things could have turned out for the worse. But it turns out that Hammurabi was the man for his job, and it is interesting to see what were the right first steps he took to secure his position that eventually would lead him to one of the great kings of that time.

When Hammurabi ascended to the throne in 1792 BCE he focused most of his first three decades to internal affairs within his own kingdom, despite there being much activity going on with other kingdoms around the area. Instead, Hammurabi gets involved in activities that seem to be for gaining the trust of his people. One example that particularly stands out is Hammurabi canceling huge debts. This, as Van De Mieroop points out, did affect some private creditors but with the cancellation of the debts the palace was the one that was the most heavily affected. Hammurabi also builds more houses of worship for the cities showing his people that he was there to help support them, as the religious temples played a central role in the society of that time. This also connects to Hammurabi’s use of religious verification to his rule. What I mean by this is that Hammurabi shows to his people that he is a man that is supported by the gods, therefore stabilizing his position as king. This is shown in inscriptions and letters found about King Hammurabi with statements like “After the goddess Inanna game him a positive omen” and “the one who listens to the god Shamash” (13) and even “with the help of the great gods, Hammurabi had defeated [neighboring armies].”(30) Hammurabi even helped establish irrigation canals, as well as protect his people from other enemies. By being a caretaker for this people and establishing helpful allies, Hammurabi started his kingship with solid steps. As Van De Mieroop states “… he behaved as a good Babylonian king, providing for his people and his land.” (10)