An exquisite object I came across at the British Museum.
This monument was for personal religious devotion. From 1792BC–1750BC.
Ancient Mesopotamians hammer-and-chiseled it. A terrific level of craftsmanship.
The figure on the left is King Hammurabi himself, shown in a classic profile with his right hand raised in a gesture of prayer or worship.
The Code of Hammurabi is one of the oldest written sets of laws in human history. King Hammurabi is shown receiving laws from the sun god Shamash. It is now in the Louvre Museum, Paris. (I have been twice, and have missed IT on both occasions — too focused on the art! 😏)
Terrific craftsmanship indeed, both in the detail of the figure and in the writing, which looks as precise as you could get from modern printing.
ReplyDeleteAll the more so, to think that the Mesopotamians were making things like this at a time when Greece and China were uncharted wilderness.
The Code of Hammurabi -- every lawyer owes their living to this start of a legal system!
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