“When Marduk sent me to rule over men, to give protection of right to the land, I did right and brought about the well-being of the oppressed” (eawc.evansville.edu). A very thought provoking quote from a very thoughtful ruler. Known for his many war victories but most notorious for his code of laws, Hammurabi ruled ancient Babylonia, a territory totaling up to 50 miles of land, for 42 years, from 1792-1750 B.C.E. The code of Hammurabi was a list of 282 laws, many of which were punishable by loss of tongue, ear, or even one’s life. Although some punishments may seem harsh by today’s standards, back in ancient times these repercussions were found completely reasonable. These laws pertained but were not limited to land tenure, rent, the position of women, marriage, divorce, inheritance, justice, wages, and labor conduct. It was also fairly clear that the punishment on the upper class was often far more crude as compared to the punishment for commoners. Crimes against an equal ranking man would result in an equal loss of one’s own belongings or body. Hammurabi, the strong believer in justice that he was, was the first to say the still ever so commonly used phrase, “An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.” It’s because of this that he was so widely respected and loved by his people. There is even evidence of him saying “To make justice visible to the land, I must destroy the wicked person and evil doer, so that the strong might not injure the weak” (UShistory.org). Hammurabi may have lived in ancient times, but his ideas and views on certain things were advanced, even by some countries' standards today. He believed that women deserved many rights including the right to buy and sell property, and even the right to divorce (UShistory.org). Granted, if a crime was committed against a female or a slave the punishment for the crime would be lesser than if it had been committed against, say, a nobleman. However, his outlook on women’s rights bypassed even some current rulers' views to this day. The 282 law code was etched into a 2.3 meter high black diorite pillar and was discovered in 1901 by French archeologist Gustave Jequier. Gustave h