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statementVerified

The stele prints law as something a king claims to show

Dated 1 June 1755: The stele prints law as something a king claims to show. In the causal graph this event strengthens Social Cohesion, a driver that strengthens Having a say in government — an improving welfare path.

Sources: [1][2]

Read the full account

Twin of publicity-harm: this stores inscribed public-ness of rules as cohesion of medium confidence. Not ‘invented law’. Hammurabi did not operate this later page as a civil-registry autograph.

Context

Shared institutions, unnamed crews, and later editors remain in the record and do not erase a documented heading.

Hammurabi Shared work with other named actors remains in the record.

Hammurabi’s documented role is bounded by other offices and collaborators named in the sources below.

Old Babylonian chronology is reconstructed (Middle Chronology often used).

Why it matters

Not ‘invented law’.

Who was responsible

Contribution type and responsibility level for each recorded actor — not sole-author shorthand.

  • Hammurabi

    Person

    Direct responsibility

    responsibility level 0.24 · verified

What changed

Fact → Driver → Indicator. Relationship strength orders the paths; it is not the observed indicator movement.

    1. FactThe stele prints law as something a king claims to show
    2. strengthensDriverSocial Cohesion
    3. strengthensIndicators (2)Having a say in government
    Improving path

    impact weight 0.35 · Effect from 1 June 1755 · verified

    Twin of publicity-harm: this stores inscribed public-ness of rules as cohesion of medium confidence.

    • Having a say in government

      via Social Cohesion

      Better

      Strengthens · Relationship strength 0.16 (weight 0.35 × strength 0.45)

      Observed

      29.8% of population aged 16-65 years · 8.13 below the normal line (2023)

      Worse than normal

      Two readings: 30.2% of population aged 16-65 years (2021) and 29.8% of population aged 16-65 years (2023).

      20212023

      Above normal = better

    • Rule of Law Gap from the Highest Governance Score

      via Social Cohesion

      Better

      Weakens · Relationship strength 0.16 (weight 0.35 × strength 0.45)

      Observed

      43.9 Score · 43.9 above the normal line (2024)

      Worse than normal

      26 readings, 1996–2024: rose from 43 Score to 43.9 Score.

      Normal is zero · any amount = worse

Evidence

The sources behind this fact and its verification state.

Verified2 sources on file
  1. 1.Britannica — Code of HammurabiEncyclopaedia Britannica · High credibility · verified
  2. 2.Louvre — Code of Hammurabi steleMusée du Louvre · High credibility · verified
What the sources establish

Hammurabi did not file a later UNESCO form, a later Loeb colophon, or a later museum label as a personal act.

Causal path

How this event connects to drivers and indicators in the graph.

  1. ActorHammurabi
  2. contributed toFactThe stele prints law as something a king claims to show
  3. strengthensDriverSocial Cohesion
  4. strengthensIndicatorHaving a say in government

Cite this page

Factrail. (2026). The stele prints law as something a king claims to show. Factrail. https://factrail.ai/facts/ham-written-law-publicity

https://factrail.ai/facts/ham-written-law-publicity

Accessed 16 October 2026.

By the · Method: how we source and score · Last reviewed

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