Code of Ur-Nammu
E37110
The Code of Ur-Nammu is one of the oldest known law codes in history, originating from ancient Sumer under the rule of King Ur-Nammu and outlining early principles of justice and social order.
Statements (48)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
ancient law code
→
cuneiform text → legal document → |
| author |
Ur-Nammu
→
|
| claimsDivineAuthorityFrom |
Nanna
→
Utu → |
| contains |
epilogue
→
laws → prologue → |
| countryOfOrigin |
Third Dynasty of Ur
→
|
| creator |
Ur-Nammu
→
|
| currentLocation |
Istanbul Archaeology Museums
→
Penn Museum → |
| dateCreated |
circa 2100–2050 BCE
→
|
| discoveredIn |
Nippur
→
Ur → |
| followedBy |
Code of Hammurabi
→
Code of Lipit-Ishtar → |
| follows |
earlier Mesopotamian legal traditions
→
|
| genre |
law code
→
|
| historicalSignificance |
earliest extant law code written in Sumerian
→
one of the oldest known law codes in history → |
| language |
Sumerian
→
|
| legalPrinciple |
lex talionis in limited form
→
monetary compensation for bodily injury → oath-taking as proof → presumption of innocence → proportional punishment → |
| legalSystem |
Sumerian law
→
|
| material |
clay tablets
→
|
| namedAfter |
Ur-Nammu
→
|
| numberOfLawsPreserved |
about 40
→
|
| originalNumberOfLawsEstimated |
about 57
→
|
| placeOfOrigin |
Sumer
→
Ur → southern Mesopotamia → |
| purpose |
to establish justice in the land
→
to protect the weak from the strong → |
| religiousContext |
Mesopotamian religion
→
|
| subject |
civil law
→
criminal law → family law → justice → property law → social order → |
| timePeriod |
Bronze Age
→
Ur III period → |
| writingSystem |
cuneiform
→
|
Referenced by (2)
| Subject (surface form when different) | Predicate |
|---|---|
|
Mesopotamia
→
|
developedLegalCode |
|
Sumer
→
|
legalCode |