The Code of Hammurabi is a Babylonian basalt stele (c. 1792-1750 BCE) carved with 282 laws in cuneiform and a relief of King Hammurabi receiving the symbols of authority from the sun god Shamash; it is a required work in AP Art History Unit 2 (Ancient Mediterranean).
The Code of Hammurabi is one of the 250 required works in AP Art History, sitting in Unit 2 (Ancient Mediterranean). It's a tall basalt stele, basically a carved stone slab meant to stand upright in public, made in Babylon around 1792-1750 BCE under King Hammurabi. The lower portion is covered in cuneiform script spelling out 282 laws on everything from property to family disputes, famously including the "eye for an eye" principle.
For the AP exam, the image at the top matters as much as the text. The relief shows Hammurabi standing before Shamash, the sun god and god of justice, who hands him a rod and ring, the symbols of royal authority. The message is hard to miss. These aren't just Hammurabi's rules; they come from a god, so breaking them means defying divine order. That combo of image plus text working together to legitimize a ruler's power is exactly the kind of form-function-content-context analysis AP Art History asks you to do.
This work lives in Topic 2.5, Unit 2 Required Works, which means you're expected to know its identifiers (title, artist/culture, date, materials) and be able to analyze how its form, function, content, and context connect. The Code of Hammurabi is the go-to Mesopotamian example of art legitimizing political power through divine association, a theme that runs through the entire Ancient Mediterranean unit. It also previews ideas you'll see again and again, like rulers using monumental public art as propaganda (think Augustus in Rome or pharaohs in Egypt). Knowing this stele well gives you a reliable comparison piece for essays about power, religion, and the written word in art.
Keep studying AP Art History Unit 2
Shamash (Unit 2)
Shamash is the figure seated at the top of the stele handing Hammurabi the rod and ring. He's the sun god and god of justice, which is the whole point. Laws handed down by the god of justice carry divine weight, not just royal opinion.
Cuneiform (Unit 2)
The 282 laws are written in cuneiform, the wedge-shaped Mesopotamian script. This stele is a classic example of text and image teaming up on one object, with the relief showing where the laws come from and the script telling you what they say.
Hierarchy of scale (Unit 2)
Mesopotamian art regularly sizes figures by importance, and the Hammurabi relief plays with this idea. Shamash is seated yet still meets the standing king at eye level, signaling the god's superior status while elevating Hammurabi as his chosen agent.
Basalt (Unit 2)
The stele is carved from basalt, a hard, dark volcanic stone. The choice signals permanence; these laws were meant to outlast any single reign. Material identification questions love the required works, so lock this one in.
Required works like this one show up in multiple-choice questions that test identifiers (culture, date, material) and attribution skills, plus free-response questions asking you to analyze how form, function, content, and context relate. Material-ID stems are a favorite for ancient works; AP practice questions ask the same kind of thing about the Palette of King Narmer, so expect "basalt" to be a tested fact here. For FRQs, the Code of Hammurabi is a strong choice when a prompt asks how art conveys political or religious authority. Be ready to describe specific visual evidence, like Hammurabi receiving the rod and ring from Shamash, and explain what that imagery did for the king's legitimacy.
Both are Mesopotamian stone steles glorifying a ruler, so they blur together fast. The difference is the ruler's relationship to the divine. Naram-Sin (Akkadian, c. 2254-2218 BCE) depicts the king as a god himself, larger than everyone and wearing a horned helmet. Hammurabi (Babylonian, c. 1792-1750 BCE) stays human; he receives authority from Shamash rather than claiming godhood. One stele celebrates a military victory, the other publishes a law code.
The Code of Hammurabi is a Babylonian basalt stele from c. 1792-1750 BCE and a required work in AP Art History Unit 2.
The relief at the top shows Hammurabi receiving the rod and ring, symbols of authority, from Shamash, the sun god and god of justice.
The 282 laws below the relief are written in cuneiform, making this a key example of text and image working together on one object.
Its function was political and religious legitimization, framing the laws as divinely sanctioned rather than just royal decree.
It pairs well in essays with other works about rulers and divine authority, and it contrasts with the Victory Stele of Naram-Sin, where the king is shown as a god rather than a god's servant.
It's a required work from Unit 2 (Ancient Mediterranean), a basalt stele made in Babylon around 1792-1750 BCE that combines a relief of King Hammurabi with the god Shamash and 282 laws carved in cuneiform.
No, it's both. AP Art History treats it as a sculpted monument whose relief imagery (Hammurabi receiving authority from Shamash) does as much persuasive work as the laws themselves. The visual claim of divine sanction is exactly what the exam wants you to analyze.
Naram-Sin's stele shows the Akkadian king as a god, oversized and wearing a horned divine helmet, celebrating a military victory. Hammurabi's stele shows the king as human, receiving authority from the god Shamash, and its purpose is publishing a law code.
Basalt, a hard, dark volcanic stone chosen for durability and permanence. Material identification is fair game on multiple-choice questions for required works.
Shamash, the Mesopotamian sun god and god of justice. He's seated on a throne handing Hammurabi a rod and ring, which signals that the 282 laws carry divine authority.
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