History of Punishment and The Code of Hammurabi Code of Hammurabi (1750 BC) is the earliest records that show evidence of capital punishment. To inform people of when punishment began or when the people first became aware that there was punishment. The Code of Hammurabi is a collection of laws and edicts of the Babylonian king Hammuarbi. Hammurabi’s Code was engraved on a block of black basalt; it stood 7 ft. 5 inches. Between the years of 1901 and 1902, a team of French archaeologists found Hammuarabi's Code in Susa, Iraq. It was broken into 3 pieces and was restored and placed in Louvre in Paris. Where did Hammurabi get his idea of punis