LEGEND: All know of the 10 Commandments of Moses. But, it is less well known that the commandments of Moses were based on those of the more extensive Code of Hammurabi (5, 8, 9) perhaps a millennium earlier. Hammurabi stands before the sun god, Samas (10). Less known yet is that the Code of Hammurabi is preceded by the first legal code known to human society: that of Ur Nammu of Babylon (1). A prolific writer and compiler of records was Gudea of Lagash (11) (c. 2200 BC). The African is distinguished by the full nose (flattishat times, snub-nosed as 11 at others) and mouth. We can see that Ur Nammu (1) has the delicate features of the negrito (2, 3, 4). While not widely recognized, it is the African through Ur Nammu, Hammurabi, and Gudea who provided the foundation for Wesern and world law and legal systems...art, art history, Paul Marc Washington, paleoneolithic@yahoo.com

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