Law Code of Hammurabi Hammurabi ordered his code to be inscribed on stone pillars and set up in public throughout the Babylonian empire. At the top of the pillar, Hammurabi (left) is depicted receiving the rod and ring of authority from Shamash, the god of justice.
(Musée du Louvre, Paris, France/De Agostini Picture Library/Gianni Dagli Orti/Bridgeman Images)