Ancient Civilizations Reading Lesson · Grades 4–7

Code of Hammurabi

A reading comprehension lesson about the Code of Hammurabi — one of the world’s earliest and most complete written legal codes from ancient Babylon. Includes printable worksheet with comprehension questions and answer key.

Reading Passage

Code of Hammurabi

The Code of Hammurabi was discovered in the Middle East where the country of Iran is today. The discovery was made in 1901. It had been transported there from its original place in the center of the city of Babylon. The Elamites stole the code and took it back to their homeland in the 12th Century B.C.

Babylon was located in what is now the country of Iraq. Babylon was one of the most important cities in the ancient world. It was a center of culture, trade, and government. The great King Hammurabi ruled Babylon from about 1792 to 1750 B.C. He was a powerful ruler who united many city-states under his control.

Hammurabi created a set of 282 laws to govern his kingdom. These laws covered areas such as trade, family relations, property, and criminal behavior. The code established the idea that the strong should not harm the weak. Punishments were often harsh — following the principle of “an eye for an eye.”

The Code of Hammurabi was carved on a large stone pillar called a stele. The stele stood about 7.5 feet tall. At the top of the stele, Hammurabi is shown receiving the laws from Shamash, the Babylonian sun god. Today the stele is kept at the Louvre Museum in Paris, France, where millions of visitors see it each year.

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