Code of Hammurabi (c. 1754 BC)

One of the oldest and most complete written legal codes in existence, promulgated by King Hammurabi of Babylon around 1754 BC. Comprising 282 laws inscribed on a stone stele, it regulated commerce, property, family, and criminal justice — establishing fixed, publicly known rules applicable to all subjects. Its significance to legal history lies in the principle that law should be written, codified, and publicly accessible rather than arbitrary or secret.