Hamurabi: the impatient, ambitious, and often harsh King of Justice

Andrew Brown
R1B 004
ch. 4 - 8 + codes


Chapters 4 – 8 of Mieroop’s Hammurabi, spans a long period of time during the King’s rule. The reading begins just as Larsa has been conquered. The Fertile Crescent is half-stabilized, with Eshnunna (Hammurabi’s biggest remaining opponent) still powerful in the region and Elam, although reduced in its pervious role of local superpower, remains a force not to be taken lightly. Mieroop points to Elam’s invasion of Eshnunna as inspiring Hammurabi to mount an offensive defense of his lands. Perhaps his defensive operation was so successful that Hammurabi decided to ride the victories as long as they would go, or perhaps Elam’s invasion of Eshnunna showed Hammurabi that domination of the region by a single kingdom was possible.
In these chapters, we see a departure from the benevolent, unassuming Hammurabi of chapters 1 – 3. Here, while his reputation as a “just” king remains unscathed, Hammurabi is portrayed as being a little bit of a control-freak with an agenda. Mieroop shows us the side of Hammurabi that is actively planning a takeover of the Crescent, rather than simply responding to transgressions by neighboring powers. Specifically, Mieroop cites how Hammurabi moved troops and supplies around to the areas he planned to conquer next, before he had secured victory in the current campaign.
Particularly interesting to me is the contrast between Hammurabi’s management of conquered Eshnunna and conquered Larsa. Perhaps having learned from his error in Eshnunna, Hammurabi appointed trusted Babylonians as stewards and administrators in Larsa.
Lastly, the reading addresses Hammurabi’s Code: its composition and, more importantly, its purpose. To my surprise, the list of laws did not serve as a template for deciding juridicial matters, or as a ledger of all court cases. Rather, Hammurabi’s Code was a reminder of his wisdom, fairness, and reputation as the “King of Justice.”