Southern Mesopotamia, ca. 1850 BCE. Cuneiform 003

The inscription translated from this Cuneiform cone informs us that this cone served as a dedication to Lipit-Ishtar decades after his death: “When justice in Sumer and Akkad he (the king) had established the temple of justice he built.” Lipit-Ishtar (1934-1924 BCE) was the fifth king of the Dynasty of Isin, and is recognized as one of the first rulers to issue codified sets of laws. His codes predate and are said to have paved the way for Hammurabi’s code by 150 years, and is the second earliest Mesopotamian comprehensive law collection after the Laws of Ur-Namma.

Bibliography

Wilcke, Claus. “Laws of Lipit-Ishtar” in The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Bible and Law. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2015). http://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/acref:obso/9780199843305.001.0001/acref-9780199843305-e-77

Cuneiform Cone Honoring Lipit-Ishtar, Sumer, ca. 1850 BCE. University of Oregon Special Collections & University Archives, Cuneiform 003. https://alliance-primo.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/f/3uoa1r/CP71337943170001451