The Stele of Hammurabi

The Stele of Hammurabi is an impressive 7 foot tall Diorite figure that artistically combines elements of form and function using visuals and written language.  The structure is sleek and smooth in texture, dark and carefully modeled, and stands boldly and vertically—conveying a sense of importance and permanence.  Found in present day Iran and dating from c. 1792-1750 BCE, the engraving depicts a precisely incised cuneiform account of the “rights, duties and punishments” Hammurabi was instructed by God to use as a code for governing his people.  Above the writing, the stele includes a dimensional image of that conversation between Hammurabi and God.  The artifact is important as one of the oldest discovered written codes and a symbol of that ancient culture’s value of order, justice, and social structure—all conveyed by aesthetic means.

While extremely important as a historical artifact, the stele also gives a great example of the use art as a communicative tool.  The stele is marked both by images and cuneiform writing—using both visual and written information to contribute to a fuller picture of what is trying to be expressed.  Here artistic forms are used as language to convey what words alone may not.  Art then and now is used to communicate ideas and stories, to influence, and to inform in powerful ways; modern and ancient written languages also have aesthetic value.  The Stele of Hammurabi allows one to consider, in the context of both modern and ancient times, the "art" of language… and the "language" of art.