Intro
The Code of Hammurabi, a list of almost 300 legal precedents created for the Babylonian Empire by King Hammurabi over 3,000 years ago, still holds great significance today. This is because it gives some insight into what Babylon’s culture and ideals were like at the time, and It’s the first notable instance of combining written and visual communication.
The Moses of the Babylon Empire
Comparable to the 10 commandments that Moses wrote by the instruction of God, King Hammurabi depicted himself through a carving and his prologue, as having received it from Shamash, the God of sun and justice.
I find that this demonstrates the worship and spiritual culture of the time, and how King Hammurabi portrayed himself as having a direct connection to God, making his word divine.
The laws themselves display the sophistication and fierceness of Babylonian society and the application of Lex Talionis, or in other words, “an eye for eye”. The legal precedents are straightforward and situation-specific, written in an if-then format. For example, code 197 states, “If he breaks another man’s bone, his bone shall be broken”. Additionally, with the severity of punishments such as mutilation and death, it would be right to assume that their value of human life was less than it is today.
Hammurabi and Graphic Design
Although there were earlier instances of the combined use of image and text, the Code of Hammurabi was the most prominent. Personally, the code demonstrates a stronger and more symbolic use of imagery when compared to the Blau Monuments, which are thought to have been used to represent a land purchase or gift.
The code’s text and carving are separated, making it more organized and pleasing to the eye.
I believe that the Code of Hammurabi is an early example of graphic design. It’s effective in the sense that your attention is drawn to the carving first, and naturally you read the prologue next, pushing further that King Hammurabi’s word is Shamash’s word. Its simplicity plays into its design, and contributed to its own infamy that lasts to this day.
Conclusion
The Code of Hammurabi is one of the more well-known relics of the Babylonian Empire because of its significance and novelty for its time. It gives us a look into the lives of the citizens of Babylon, and it’s an interesting case of graphic design, communicating through text and image. All in all, It was fascinating to learn about how our ancestors learned the power of written language, combined it with imagery, to communicate about things that are vastly different today in modern society.
Sources
- Code of Hammurabi. Wright State University. (n.d.). Retrieved September 30, 2022, from http://www.wright.edu/~christopher.oldstone-moore/Hamm.htm
- Encyclopædia Britannica, inc. (2022, August 31). Code of Hammurabi. Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved September 30, 2022, from https://www.britannica.com/topic/Code-of-Hammurabi
- Encyclopædia Britannica, inc. (n.d.). Shamash. Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved September 30, 2022, from https://www.britannica.com/topic/Shamash
- Mark, J. J. (2021, June 24). Code of Hammurabi. World History Encyclopedia. Retrieved September 30, 2022, from https://www.worldhistory.org/Code_of_Hammurabi/
- Rattini, K. B. (2019, April 22). Hammurabi-facts and information. National Geographic. Retrieved September 30, 2022, from https://www.nationalgeographic.com/culture/article/hammurabi?loggedin=true
- Code of Hammurabi (18th century B.C.E.). (2013). In C. Clark Northrup (Ed.), Encyclopedia of world trade: from ancient times to the present. Routledge. Credo Reference: https://ezproxy.capilanou.ca/login?url=https://search.credoreference.com/content/entry/sharpewt/code_of_hammurabi_18th_century_b_c_e/0?institutionId=6884
- Cook, J. W. (2014). Code of Hammurabi. In J. W. Cook, Encyclopedia of ancient literature (2nd ed.). Facts On File. Credo Reference: https://ezproxy.capilanou.ca/login?url=https://search.credoreference.com/content/entry/fofal/code_of_hammurabi/0?institutionId=6884
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