Who wrote the first written law?

Asked by: Whitney Bergstrom  |  Last update: January 23, 2026
Score: 4.8/5 (19 votes)

The Code of Ur-Nammu (c. 2100-2050 BCE) is the oldest extant law code in the world. It was written by the Sumerian king Ur-Nammu (r. 2047-2030 BCE) or his son Shulgi of Ur (r.

Who wrote first set of written laws?

Answer and Explanation: The first set of written laws is known as the Code of Hammurabi. Discovered in 1901, the Code of Hammurabi describes ancient civil and criminal laws composed by King Hammurabi of Babylon. Historians believe this law was written on stone and clay tablets sometime in the 1700s BCE.

Who created the first law?

Ancient world

By the 22nd century BC, Ur-Nammu, an ancient Sumerian ruler, formulated the first extant law code, consisting of casuistic statements ("if... then..."). Around 1760 BC, King Hammurabi further developed Babylonian law, by codifying and inscribing it in stone.

Who wrote the first rule of law?

The phrase "rule of law" was further popularized in the 19th century by British jurist A. V. Dicey. However, the principle, if not the phrase itself, was recognized by ancient thinkers. Aristotle wrote: "It is more proper that law should govern than any one of the citizens."

Who wrote first law?

The First Law is a fantasy series written by British author Joe Abercrombie.

The Code of Hammurabi & the Rule of Law: Why Written Law Matters [No. 86]

39 related questions found

What was the first written form of law?

Law codes were compiled by the most ancient peoples. The oldest extant evidence for a code is tablets from the ancient archives of the city of Ebla (now at Tell Mardikh, Syria), which date to about 2400 bc. The best known ancient code is the Babylonian Code of Hammurabi.

What is the oldest law in the world?

Code of Ur-Nammu. The Code of Ur-Nammu is the oldest known surviving law code. It is from Mesopotamia and is written on tablets, in the Sumerian language c. 2100–2050 BCE.

Who discovered the first law?

Newton's first law states that every object will remain at rest or in uniform motion in a straight line unless compelled to change its state by the action of an external force. This tendency to resist changes in a state of motion is inertia.

Who made the first law in America?

An Act to regulate the Time and Manner of administering certain Oaths was the first law passed by the United States Congress after the ratification of the U.S. Constitution. It was signed by President George Washington on June 1, 1789, and parts of it remain in effect to this day.

Who created the first written public laws?

Hammurabi was the sixth king of Babylon and ruled from 1792 BC to 1750 BC. The Code of Hammurabi contained 282 laws inscribed on twelve stone tablets which were placed in public view. Hammurabi's Code was one of the earliest written codes of law in recorded history.

Who was Hammurabi in the Bible?

In the early twentieth century, many scholars believed that Hammurabi was Amraphel, the King of Shinar in the Book of Genesis 14:1.

What was America's first set of written laws?

America's first constitution, the Articles of Confederation, gave the Confederation Congress the power to make rules and request funds from the states, but it had no enforcement powers, couldn't regulate commerce, or print money.

Who actually writes the laws?

Congress is the lawmaking branch of the federal government. Learn how a bill becomes a law and how the process is different in the House of Representatives and in the Senate.

Who made the first complete set of written laws?

It was he who is credited with creating the first written laws. Hammurabi created 282 laws, which dealt with aspects of everyday life. Crimes came with specific penalties, and many of them were punishable by death. The laws were inscribed on a stone pillar, and became known as Hammurabi's Code.

What is the oldest contract in the world?

Contract for the Sale of a Slave, Reign of Rim-Sin, c. 2300 B.C. In this transaction the sellers simply guarantee to make no further claim upon the slave. It dates from about 2300 B.C., and is interesting as an index of the legal development of that far-off time.

Who created the first written law?

The Code of Ur-Nammu is the oldest written text of a code of law. The code was written sometime between 2100 and 2050 BCE by the Sumerian king, Ur-Nammu, or possibly by his son, Shulgi of Ur.

What does the f in f ma stand for?

Newton's second law is one of the most important in all of physics. For a body whose mass m is constant, it can be written in the form F = ma, where F (force) and a (acceleration) are both vector quantities. If a body has a net force acting on it, it is accelerated in accordance with the equation.

Who wrote the second law?

The Law (French: La Loi) is an 1850 book by Frédéric Bastiat.

What is the oldest religion in the world?

Hinduism has been called the "oldest religion" in the world, but scholars regard Hinduism as a relatively recent synthesis of various Indian cultures and traditions, with diverse roots and no single founder, which emerged around the beginning of the Common Era.

What is the greatest law in history?

The Code of Hammurabi was one of the earliest and most complete written legal codes and was proclaimed by the Babylonian king Hammurabi, who reigned from 1792 to 1750 B.C. Hammurabi expanded the city-state of Babylon along the Euphrates River to unite all of southern Mesopotamia.

Which is the oldest language in the world?

As far as the world knew, Sanskrit stood as the first spoken language because it dated as back as 5000 BC. New information indicates that although Sanskrit is among the oldest spoken languages, Tamil dates back further. Tamil dates as far back as 350 BC—works like the 'Tholkappiyam,' an ancient poem, stand as evidence.

When was the first law given?

The law was given 430 years after Abraham entered the Promised Land, and thus was added to the promise. First came promise, then law. The law was not designed to replace the promise. After all, the Israelites continued to be the children of Abraham and continued to keep the Abrahamic covenant by believing the promises.

Why was law created?

Laws protect our general safety, and ensure our rights as citizens against abuses by other people, by organizations, and by the government itself.

Where does the bill start?

The Bill Is Introduced

In the U.S. House of Representatives, a bill is introduced when it is placed in the hopper—a special box on the side of the clerk's desk. Only Representatives can introduce bills in the U.S. House of Representatives.