What is the oldest known surviving law code from ancient Mesopotamia?

The oldest known surviving law code from ancient Mesopotamia is the Code of Ur-Nammu.

It was issued in Sumer during the reign of Ur-Nammu, founder of the Third Dynasty of Ur, around 2100–2050 BCE. The surviving text is written in Sumerian and sets out penalties for offenses including bodily injury, sexual misconduct, and property damage.

The code is older than the better-known Code of Hammurabi by roughly three centuries. A common mistake is to call Hammurabi’s collection the oldest law code; it is the most famous largely because more of it survives and it was inscribed on a large stone monument. The Ur-Nammu laws are preserved mainly on damaged clay tablets, so some passages remain incomplete.

Unlike many later legal systems, the Code of Ur-Nammu often specifies monetary compensation rather than corporal punishment. It provides an important glimpse into early Sumerian ideas about royal justice and social order.