King Hammurabi of Babylon: A Biography - Hardcover

by Marc Van de Mieroop (Author)

This is the first biography in English of King Hammurabi, who ruled Babylon from 1792 to 1750 BC and presents a rounded view of his accomplishments.

• Describes how Hammurabi dealt with powerful rivals and extended his kingdom.
  
• Draws on the King's own writings and on diplomatic correspondence that has only recently become available.
  
• Explores the administration of the kingdom and the legacies of his rule, especially his legal code.
  
• Demonstrates how Hammurabi's conquests irrevocably changed the political organization of the Near East, so that he was long remembered as one of the great kings of the past.
  
• Written to be accessible to a general audience.

Back Jacket

This book presents the first biography written in English of the famous Babylonian lawgiver, King Hammurabi, who ruled from 1792 to 1750 BC. It presents a well-rounded view of this ancient Mesopotamian king's accomplishments, by drawing on the extensive writings of his time, including those by Hammurabi himself. Numerous letters and reports by ambassadors to his court and others are presented in translation.

Marc Van De Mieroop traces Hammurabi's career as a diplomat and conqueror, describing how he dealt with powerful rivals and extended his kingdom to create the large state of Babylon. He explores the administration of the kingdom and looks at the legacies of Hammurabi's rule, especially his legal code, the earliest complete body of legal instructions in world history.

The book demonstrates how Hammurabi's conquests irrevocably changed the political organization of the Middle East and shows that Hammurabi was long remembered by the ancient Mesopotamians as one of the greatest kings of the past.

Author Biography

Marc Van De Mieroop is Professor of Ancient Near East History at Columbia University, New York. He has written numerous books and articles, including most recently A History of the Ancient Near East, c. 3000-323 BC (Blackwell Publishing, 2004).