Diorite stele inscribed with the laws of Hammurabi, 18th century BC.

Diorite stela inscribed with the laws of Hammurabi, 18th century BC. Hammurabi (Hammurapi) king of Babylon (1792-1750 BC), sixth ruler of the 1st of Babylon, unified Mesopotamia. This stela was discovered at Susa in 1901 by Jean-Vincent Sceil (1858-1940), French Orientalist, and is inscribed with the Code of Hammurabi, the laws of the kingdom. Hammurabi sits enthroned at top of the stela. From the collection of the Louvre, Paris. (Photo by Art Media/Print Collector/Getty Images)