Kingship of Hammurabi and Naram-Sin
For many kings in the ancient near east, a vital part of their rule was their justification of power. Without some sort of justification, a king could face rebellions and other challenges to power. So, many kings used divine influence to lay claims to their positions. How close their connections to the divine were, depended on their portrayal of kingship. Hammurabi presents himself as a king whose role is to bring justice in the Babylonian Empire, recording laws to maintain order. In contrast, Naram-Sin’s kingship is that of a conqueror, expanding the Akkadian Empire to its peak. It was enough for Hammurabi claim to have been chosen by the gods to maintain his control; Naram-Sin, gave himself an even closer …show more content…
The code focuses particularly on “protecting property rights and a social hierarchy.” In practice, many of the punishments for crime were much less severe that outlined in Hammurabi’s code, and in most cases “the people themselves assembled in courts to determine [penalties] by their own judgements.” So, Hammurabi did not create the written code for the people to follow to the letter, but he created it to show the gods he was following their instructions, taking steps to protect his people. This display shows how important it was to Hammurabi that the gods favor him as king, while never claiming to be a god. He acts and rules to uphold the gods’ wishes, but remains human in the eyes of his …show more content…
He exerted his royal power and divine connection through the conquering of neighboring peoples. His reign brought about the height of the Akkadian Empire. Like other rulers, he established that the gods favor him through art and monuments to his military victories. He then also deified himself by giving himself characteristics reserved for the gods. An example of this is on the stele boasting his victory of the Lullubi. Naram-Sin stood under divine protection, and he also “wears a conical helmet with horns – a symbol traditionally the privilege of the gods.” Not only does this stele show Naram-Sin under the protection of the gods, it shows him on the same level of the gods. Naram-Sin was the first ancient near eastern ruler to place himself at such a
For many kings in the ancient near east, a vital part of their rule was their justification of power. Without some sort of justification, a king could face rebellions and other challenges to power. So, many kings used divine influence to lay claims to their positions. How close their connections to the divine were, depended on their portrayal of kingship. Hammurabi presents himself as a king whose role is to bring justice in the Babylonian Empire, recording laws to maintain order. In contrast, Naram-Sin’s kingship is that of a conqueror, expanding the Akkadian Empire to its peak. It was enough for Hammurabi claim to have been chosen by the gods to maintain his control; Naram-Sin, gave himself an even closer …show more content…
The code focuses particularly on “protecting property rights and a social hierarchy.” In practice, many of the punishments for crime were much less severe that outlined in Hammurabi’s code, and in most cases “the people themselves assembled in courts to determine [penalties] by their own judgements.” So, Hammurabi did not create the written code for the people to follow to the letter, but he created it to show the gods he was following their instructions, taking steps to protect his people. This display shows how important it was to Hammurabi that the gods favor him as king, while never claiming to be a god. He acts and rules to uphold the gods’ wishes, but remains human in the eyes of his …show more content…
He exerted his royal power and divine connection through the conquering of neighboring peoples. His reign brought about the height of the Akkadian Empire. Like other rulers, he established that the gods favor him through art and monuments to his military victories. He then also deified himself by giving himself characteristics reserved for the gods. An example of this is on the stele boasting his victory of the Lullubi. Naram-Sin stood under divine protection, and he also “wears a conical helmet with horns – a symbol traditionally the privilege of the gods.” Not only does this stele show Naram-Sin under the protection of the gods, it shows him on the same level of the gods. Naram-Sin was the first ancient near eastern ruler to place himself at such a