It’s clear why the US put Hammurabi on its new Dinar for Iraq.This self-proclaimed “exalted prince” (ruled from 1795-1750 BC) who brings “the rule of righteousness in the land, to destroy the wicked and the evil-doers” and rules over “the black-headed people,” and “who conquered the four quarters of the world,” enforced 282 laws that micromanaged an incredible array of possible commercial and familial disputes, with most punishments ending in banishment, exile, and, most often, death. Law #6 could be especially useful for an occupying government: “If any one steal the property of a temple or of the court, he shall be put to death, and also the one who receives the stolen thing from him shall be put to death.”
