The Stele of Hammurabi

The Stele of Hammurabi (c. 1792-1750 BCE) is both a piece of art and a code of law commissioned by the 6^th King of Babylon, Hammurabi. The sculpture is a 7.4 ft. tall piece of diorite, the lower 3/4 of the stone smoothed as to allow The Code of Hammurabi (the laws and punishments he set forth) to be inscribed on it. The top quarter of the piece is a relief sculpture depicting Hammurabi receiving the code orally from the god of justice, Shamash. Many different aspects of the piece come together to create a sense of respect or fearful awe around this ancient Babylonia ruler.

The Code of Hammurabi has been found on various artifacts throughout Babylon and surrounding areas inscribed not only on stone, but on clay tablets. This statue then served as a functional piece of art, much like the inscriptions and text that can surely be found in the halls of the U.S. Supreme Court. This piece was meant to be viewed not only for it’s detailed carvings, but also (and maybe more importantly for Hammurabi) for its intellectual content. The visual design qualities of the piece then act primarily to emphasize and deliver the intellectual content.

The first thing I notice about this sculpture visually is the sheer size. From base-to-top it is 7.4 feet, so the relief sculpture scene starts at or just above eye-level. It is sculpted in the round and has inscriptions on both the front and the back requiring you to pace around the object. The effect that the height of this piece has then, is that while you are reading the text the scene of Hammurabi receiving this divine instruction is hovering above you, watching you almost.

In the relief sculpture, there are other elements to suggest the respect that Hammurabi and these laws deserve. In terms of size, Hammurabi and Shamash are nearly equal; one is not noticeably bigger than the other. It is not uncommon for artists to use hierarchical scale to suggest the relative importance of one element over another (especially in religious/devotional works depicting a diety). Although Shamash may be sitting, the decision to make the two figures visually at the same height shows both the artist’s care to visual balance as well as the concept of relative importance.

The lines of this sculpture also help convey the commissioner’s motives. The inscriptions are placed on a very well kept horizontal grid which helps to stabilize and give the composition weight/grounding. In fact, horizontal lines and vertical lines are all over the place in this piece. Shamash’s beard, Shamash’s robe, the designs on the chair; the only curvilinear lines are on the hats of both the figures and the rays coming of of Shamash’s shoulder. There are a few horizontal lines, but the overall direction of the lines convey a static, motionless scene, which is an effective visual compliment to the gravity of the laws being laid out.

Overall, the visual elements in this sculpture do a wonderful job at delivering the Code of Hammurabi in a way that suggests Hammurabi was a ruler worthy of the company and blessings of the gods.