Book excerpt: Hammurabi was an important leader in ancient Mesopotamia. Following the model of the warrior-king Sargon, Hammurabi built the tiny city-state of Babylon into a vast empire. He was recognized as a hands-on ruler. Not content to delegate duties to governors and advisors, Hammurabi was personally involved with all the goings-on in his empire. From the digging of canals to the construction of huge temples, Hammurabi was very interested in justice and fairness. He thought of himself as a shepherd and protector of all his people. He wanted everyone, the poor and the wealthy, to be treated fairly. In the second half of his reign, Hammurabi compiled a lengthy collection of laws into a single code. It is one of the oldest known law codes. You can find reminders of this ancient code in law books around the world.