This black basalt stela is more than 2 metres high. It comes from the excavations led by Jacques de Morgan in Susa. It is one of the earliest law codes, established by Hammurabi of Babylon, who reigned from 1792 to 1750 BCE. At the top of the stela King Hammurabi is depicted in low relief facing the god of Justice, Shamash. The cuneiform script describes a number of legal cases and the penalties applied. This Mesopotamian stela was brought back to Susa by an Elamite king in the 12^th century BCE.