The Code of Hammurabi is one of the oldest and best-preserved written legal codes in history. Enacted by the Babylonian King Hammurabi, it consists of 282 laws inscribed on a seven-foot tall black diorite stele. The laws cover a wide range of issues, including trade, property, family law, and criminal justice. The code is famous for its principle of 'lex talionis' (the law of retaliation), often summarized as 'an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.' While the punishments varied based on social class, the code was revolutionary because it established the idea that laws should be public and that the government had a responsibility to ensure justice. It provided a model for later legal systems, including those of the Greeks and Romans.