Category Ancient World\’s Commanders

Why is it said that Hammurabi did something no one had done before?

        Hammurabi was an ancient Babylonian king. He was the sixth king of Babylon, but expanded it by uniting cities. He therefore became the first king of the empire. He first conquered cities towards the south, and then his conquest expanded. He respected all the religions in his empire, and did many things in order to make Babylon a better place.

          Hammurabi is best remembered because he did something that no one had ever done before. Using a form of written language known as cuneiform, Hammurabi created the first written set of laws called the Code of Hammurabi. In Hammurabi’s court, it did not matter if you were rich or poor. If you broke the law, and were found guilty, you would be punished. Since the laws were clearly written down, everyone was expected to obey them.

             Under Hammurabi, the Babylonian Empire was very strong, but under his children and grandchildren, the empire got weaker, until eventually it collapsed like other West Asian empires.

 

Why is the life of Sargon the Great shrouded in legend?

        Sargon the Great was the ruler of the Akkadians, who conquered the land between the Euphrates and Tigris Rivers around 2300 BC. According to legend, Sargon’s mother was a princess, and his father a poor gardener. His mother abandoned him, and put him in a reed basket which she then set float on the river. However, he was rescued by a gardener named Akki, and he became a favourite of the Goddess Ishtar.

         With the goddess’s blessings, he came to the court of the king. In time, he built himself a new city at Akkad, and made himself its king. He gradually conquered all the land around him. In this way, he built the first empire that we know of the Akkadian Empire. His empire was great indeed, extending throughout Mesopotamia. He sent expeditions into Asia Minor and Southeast Arabia, with varying degrees of success. In the process, he spread not only the military wisdom of his army but also the cultural wisdom of Sumeria, the civilization that he conquered. Sargon ruled for 35 more years, until his death in 2305. But the fact is that he lived so long ago that most of what we know about him is based on legend.