Law Made Public

The genius of Hammurabi's Code was making law visible — the idea that rules should be public, knowable, and applied to everyone.

• 282 laws covered everything from medical fees to wages
• Justice was openly class-based, with different penalties for nobles, commoners, and enslaved people
• Surgeons faced hand amputation for failed operations on nobles
• Public, written law — meant to be seen and known by all — shaped the legal systems that followed

The Code also shows surprising attitudes toward women, who could own property, run businesses, and seek divorce under certain conditions.