With the Stele of Hammurabi I will explain the purpose and functions of writing during this period. Hammurabi, the king of Babylon, invented the writing system as a way to bring people together, demand equality, make people aware of the laws and regulations of the land and the consequences that follow crimes or misconduct. These laws are written on steles, wooden slabs, stones and clay, usually rectangular in shape. Stele of Hammurabi, is a famous stele piece because about three hundred laws in cuneiform are written on it. Furthermore, on the Stele of Hammurabi there is a Shamash, the god of the sun, war and water. It is he who sits while King Hammurabi stands collecting the laws of