Hammurabi

Hammurabi was an important Babylonian king known for his early law code. It was one of the first law codes to be written down and because it was inscribed on a stele, it was durable. It's now in the Louvre. Hammurabi is depicted as getting the law code from a god. Although the laws seem harsh today, having them written down was a boon to the Babylonians. He was the 6th king of the first Babylonian Dynasty -- about 4000 years ago. We don't know for sure when he ruled, but the standard Middle Chronology puts his dates at 1792-1750.

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