Eshnunna, Code of

(in Russian, Code of Bilalama), a code of laws compiled in the state of Eshnunna (Mesopotamia) in the middle of the 20th century B.C. This code was preserved in two incomplete lists on clay tablets (60 articles), written in Akkadian. The code of Eshnunna is in many respects similar to the code of Hammurabi, although unlike the latter it does not punish the theft of a slave with death, limiting punishment to compensation (“give another slave in return for the stolen one”). The code forbids accepting money or objects “from the hands of a slave” or making loans (that is, any transactions with a slave). Moneylenders are likewise forbidden from taking hostages, whether free men or slaves.