Hammurabi was a great Mesopotamian leader. He ruled for 42 years. During those years he fixed tax collecting system. This resulted in better irrigation system and better buildings. He created an empire and was a brilliant war leader. However his best accomplishment was his set of 282 laws called Hammurabi’s code. His laws were specific and brutal. They often were made for specific crime for a specific offender and victim. “If a son strike his father, his hands shall be hewn off.” The lower class had a more severe punishment then the upper class. The type of government was a monarchy.