The code of Hammurabi was presented in an eight-foot tall stele made of shimmering black basalt. At the top it shows Hammurabi, the Babylonian king, standing on the left next to the god of justice, Shamash. The laws were written in phallic form, so it was obvious that it was a symbol of Hammurabi's authority. Everyone in Hammurabi's time could recognize the symbol of Hammurabi's authority. Even those who could not read what was written on the stele. Hammurabi ruled Babylon, which is a city in the center of Mesopotamia. During the period of his reign, Mesopotamia was at the height of political integration. This is only part of the effects of Hammurabi's way of ruling. Hammurabi was a great ruler who could turn a small state into an empire. It is called the ancient Babylonian empire. What made Hammurabi a special ruler is that he used different ways of managing the city. Most rulers of the time believed that power should be based on force. and that wars were the only way to get what they wanted. This tells us that there was a lot of violence between cities and kingdoms in that period. Most rulers put all their resources and efforts into preparing their armies for war. Their ignorance caused hatred among people. And this actually brought no benefit to their kingdoms. People at that time desperately needed a change in the system. Hammurabi is very different from other rulers. He used other approaches to strengthen his reign. Approaches that were very much the opposite of what was happening. He believed that military intelligence, diplomacy and strategic planning were much more beneficial than an army. He also didn't believe that... midway through the paper... he had committed an offense against other nobles. Hammurabi's code also included laws that protected women in their society. For example, the right for a woman to divorce her husband if he has abused her. And that a husband is obliged to pay financial support to his wife and child if he intends to divorce. From the laws of Hammurabi, we can easily predict that in those times, the laws were harsher and more severe. And it left no room for explanation. All laws were black and white, with no gray areas. Which must be hard on their urban society. Although Hammurabi was a strong and intelligent ruler who helped Mesopotamia achieve great goals. Works Cited Cole, Joshua, Carol Symes, Judith G. Coffin, and Robert C. Stacey. Western civilizations: their history and culture. Third ed. vol. 1. New York: W. W. Norton &, 2012. Print.