> The phrase, "An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth," comes from whichcollection of rules?And the answer: Code of Hammurabi. Photo credit: Obelisk Art History.Dating to the 18th century BCE, the Code ofHammurabi is one of the earliest written legal codes, proclaimed by the king ofBabylon in what is now Iraq. The collection of 282 rules established standardsfor both personal and commercial interactions, while also setting fines andpunishments.Hammurabi is generally considered to be the first king of the Babylonian empire.As such, he expanded the authority and dominance of Babylon through a series ofwars against adjoining kingdoms, eventually becoming the greatest conquerorknown to Babylonia. His empire, impressively, dominated all of Mesopotamia. Off of the battlefield, Hammurabi was known as a great legislator and reformer.The Code of Hammurabi, the first set of written codes, are some of the mostinfluential among early written laws. In fact, it has been hypothesized[https://www.gotquestions.org/Moses-Hammurabi-code.html] that the Code ofHammurabi inspired the laws of Moses – scholars have long since noted theextreme similarities regarding issues like adultery, kidnapping and retaliation("an eye for an eye"). Whether or not that is the case, the Code of Hammurabi is influential in otherspheres as well. The Code is one of the first in history with a presumed levelof innocence until proven guilty. It allowed for both the accuser and theaccused to present evidence for their case, a concept that seems innate to afair trial now, but was novel at its conception. It also helped to develop aprogressive educational system that led to a great expansion of literacy in theBabylonian empire. We continue to learn about ancient laws and culture from theCode even today.Check out this article[https://www.history.com/topics/ancient-history/hammurabi] for more information.