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Overview
This is the first biography in English of King Hammurabi, who ruled Babylon from 1792 to 1750 BC and presents a rounded view of his accomplishments.
- Describes how Hammurabi dealt with powerful rivals and extended his kingdom.
- Draws on the King’s own writings and on diplomatic correspondence that has only recently become available.
- Explores the administration of the kingdom and the legacies of his rule, especially his legal code.
- Demonstrates how Hammurabi’s conquests irrevocably changed the political organization of the Near East, so that he was long remembered as one of the great kings of the past.
- Written to be accessible to a general audience.
Synopsis
This is the first biography in English of King Hammurabi, who ruled Babylon from 1792 to 1750 BC and presents a rounded view of his accomplishments.
- Describes how Hammurabi dealt with powerful rivals and extended his kingdom.
- Draws on the King’s own writings and on diplomatic correspondence that has only recently become available.
- Explores the administration of the kingdom and the legacies of his rule, especially his legal code.
- Demonstrates how Hammurabi’s conquests irrevocably changed the political organization of the Near East, so that he was long remembered as one of the great kings of the past.
- Written to be accessible to a general audience.
Editorials
From the Publisher
“Van De Mieroop evokes vividly Hammurabi’s rise from one King among many to Lord of a territory stretching from the Gulf into Syria …. He succeeds in delineating Hammurabi’s remarkable achievements and providing glimpses of his personality.” Amelie Kuhrt, University College London
"In an age that featured aggressive militarism and shaky thrones, Hammurabi of Babylon forged clever alliances and practiced patient strategies. In these accessible and well-turned pages, Marc Van De Mieroop explains how Hammurabi created an empire through martial and administrative talents. But he also details another of Hammurabi's major achievements: sponsoring a law code that places him, along with Moses, as one of antiquity's greatest lawgivers. I recommend this book to one and all." Jack M. Sasson, Vanderbilt University
"Marc Van De Mieroop brings to history a flair for a story....Mieroop has delivered a readable history of a time strangely familiar as we watch modern Iraqis working towards hopefully, a similarly benign relationship." Insights
"This is an excellent book, also easily accessible for the uninitiated. It provides authoritative information on a ruler who was a conqueror, the ancient lawgiver ... One can only look forward to the future volumes in the series on the lives of great men and women of ancient times." Scholia Reviews
"Insofar as it is possible to write Hammurabi's story, Van De Mieroop has done so. Based as it is on a thorough knowledge of both long-known and recently published evidence, a solid acquaintance with the most up-to-date scholarship, and a historian's awareness of the varying reliability of the ancient sources, this book is an excellent account of a fascinating ruler, and as near to biography as one is going to get." Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies