2nd Millennium (2000-1000 BCE) Mesopotamia
Old Babylonian Empire
Amorites were an ancient people who occupied large parts of southern Mesopotamia,
where they established several prominent city states in existing locations, notably
Babylon which was raised from a small administrative town to an independent state and
major city.
Babylon was a significant city in ancient Mesopotamia, between the Tigris and
Euphrates rivers. The town attained independence as part of a small city state with the
rise of the First Amorite Babylonian Dynasty in 1894 BC.
Rises to prominence under Hammurabi who was the sixth Amorite king of Babylon from
1792 BC to 1750 BC. He extended Babylon's control over Mesopotamia by winning a
series of wars against neighboring kingdoms.
Hammurabi
Good general and diplomat who ruled 42 years (1792-1750 B.C.) and consolidated much
of Mesopotamia under his rule. Hammurabi is known for the set of laws called
Hammurabi's Code, which is the earliest surviving codes of law in recorded history.
Hammurabi was an Amorite First Dynasty king of the city-state of Babylon, and inherited
the power from his father, Sin-Muballit, in c. 1792 BC.
Though many cultures co-existed in Mesopotamia, Babylonian culture gained a degree
of prominence among the literate classes throughout the Middle East under
Hammurabi.
Hammurabi ascended to the throne as the king of a minor kingdom in the midst of a
complex geopolitical situation. The powerful kingdom of Eshnunna controlled the upper
Tigris River while Larsa controlled the river delta.
Hammurabi
Hammurabi’s Law Code
