Hammurabi the Great (Hammurabi 1-3)

As the king of Babylon, Hammurabi is portrayed as an exemplary ruler to his subjects as well as a fine tactician of campaigns and expansion. As documents reflecting his actions to the people whose lands he controlled as well as how he gained control of the territories show, Hammurabi possessed all the qualities necessary for great rulers.

Whether it was because of tradition or beyond that, Hammurabi showed generosity to his own people and to conquered lands. The tradition of cancelling outstanding debts for those in financial need served to establish the king, Hammurabi, as a benevolent ruler, to restart the records of the city by purging existing financial structures, and to reestablish direct responsibility of the people to king (Meiroop 11-12). While this was beneficial to the people of Bablyon when Hammurabi first took the throne as it released debt-slaves and marked Hammurabi as a defender of freedom (11), those in the annexed Larsa showed displeasure as the erasure of debt affected not only the palace but private investors as well (38). Despite this, Hammurabi’s decision to help the common people in Larsa instead of portraying himself as a ruthless conqueror reflects his wisdom in ruling (36). As it was the responsibility of the kings to take care of the gods, Hammurabi also “behaved as a good ruler should” and built temples in southern Mesopotamian cities (37). This significant extension of his duties to regions far from Babylon show both tactical prowess as well as an amount of generosity by providing to his new people very tangible proof of his being a “good ruler”.

Through his successful war with Elam as well as the expansion of his state through the annexation of Larsa, Hammurabi was also shown to be an excellent military commander. His victory over Elam with the help of forces from Mari and Ekallatum allowed him to establish military might over the region and “pursue further plans in the region” (26, 30). This consequently allowed him to conquer Larsa and rule over the largest state in Mesopotamia (39). His diplomatic and tactical abilities to be able to control such a significant portion of land reflect Hammurabi’s skill as a ruler.