Hammurabi Stele

Was this monument of ancient laws written by one of the kings who captured Abraham's nephew Lot?

This shining black diorite pillar called the Hammurabi Stele, was discovered in 1901 at the acropolis of ancient Susa by a French archaeological expedition under M. J. de Morgan.

The stele is decorated with a bas-relief of Hammurabi being commissioned by the sun god Shamash to inscribe the laws. The code contains nearly 4,000 lines of text containing around 282 laws, a historical prologue, and a literary and religious epilogue.

Hammurabi was the king of Babylon around 1800 BC and a contemporary of Abraham, the first Hebrew and he is identified by scholars as the "Amraphel" of the Bible (Genesis 14) who was one of the kings who captured Abraham's nephew Lot. 

The discovery of the Hammurabi Stele was one of the most important discoveries in Biblical Archaeology. It is an original document from the time of Abraham, bearing testimony of a highly advanced system of law and a remarkably advanced time period.

"And it came to pass in the days of Amraphel king of Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of nations; That these made war with Bera king of Sodom, and with Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, and Shemeber king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela, which is Zoar. All these were joined together in the vale of Siddim, which is the salt sea." - Genesis 14:1-3

Detailed Description of the Stele of Hammurabi

Material - Polished Black Diorite Pillar
Old Babylonian
Approx Date: 1790 BC 
Height: 2.26 m (88.976378 inches)
Width: 2 feet
Depth: 1.5 feet
Text: Cuneiform
Babylon, Iraq
Excavated in ancient Susa (Shushan) by French Archaeologists 1901-1902
Location: Louvre Museum, France

Related Pages:

Ancient Babylonia

Law-Codex of Hammurabi

CODE Of HAMMURABI in the Bible Encyclopedia - ISBE

AMRAPHEL in the Bible Encyclopedia - ISBE

Bible History Links - Ancient Near East: People

Bible History Links - Ancient Near East : Art & Images 2

Bible History Links - Ancient Near East

Bible History Links - Ancient Near East : Ancient Texts

Bible History : People in the Bible

Ancient Sketches