Replica of The Codes of Hammurabi
This replica stele enumerates the codes of Hammurabi, King of Babylon (1792 – 1750 BC). The original stele, which dates back almost 3,800 years, stands in the Louvre in Paris and was found in 1901. The stele is the oldest written code of laws known to mankind. The stele depicts Hammurabi facing the God of the Sun and receiving the laws from him. The code is the longest surviving text from the Old Babylonian period and is seen as an early example of fundamental law and government regulation. Some topics mentioned in the codes are issues relating to slander, trade, adultery and more.
The Government of Iraq presented this gift to the United Nations on 23 September 1977. The presenter, Sa’adoun Hammadi, Foreign Minister of Iraq, emphasized the importance of the replica to the people of Iraq and the people of the world as the first national code of laws recorded in history.
Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim said, “This thoughtful gift of Iraq reminds us that building an equitable and just international community is not a job for any one time in man’s history but is an endless and timeless task that demands continuous patience, dedication and determination”.