Hammurabi was both the religious and political authority of his kingdom. When he declared himself representative of Marduk, he gained enough support from the people he governed to begin creation and eventual implementation of set of laws that would govern his kingdom. His first objective in creating the Code of Hammurabi was to bring the merchants in the area under government control so they would not overcharge in interest over loans. Before the code was implemented, there existed law of vengence. After the code was introduced through Hammurabi's scribes collecting laws and then unifying them into the code, the king was able to bring unity and order to the old Babylonian Kingdom.

The Code of Hammurabi is frequently seen as an often cruel, rough and unfair set of laws, especially comparedto modern rules. Some might argue even though these laws appear harsh, it was better than a society with no...
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