The Age of Hammurabi

After Ur fell, Mesopotamia split into rival Amorite kingdoms. Hammurabi of Babylon started as one of the weaker kings and spent 30 years making alliances and breaking them.

In a few years he conquered Larsa, Eshnunna and Mari. His law code, carved for every city to see, presented him as a shepherd bringing justice to his people.

His heirs soon lost the south, and a Hittite raid ended the dynasty. But Babylon itself stayed the cultural capital of Mesopotamia.