Daniel Griver, age 16, of Shreveport, La., for his question:

WHO WAS HAMMURABI?

Hammurabi was one of the greatest kings of Babylonia. He developed one of the first law codes in history. He strengthened and expanded his kingdom by diplomacy and military conquest. Hammurabi ruled Babylonia for 43 years some time between 1850 and 1750 B.C.

Hammurabi changed the legal system of his country by revising older legal codes. The Code of Hammurabi was the name of the new code.

The ruler also set up maximum prices and minimum wages and gave his kingdom a fair, flexible and efficient system fo taxation. New buildings went up throughout his ever expanding realm. And he even found time for delicate language reforms.

The Code of Hammurabi was based on older collections of Sumerian and Akkadian laws. As the laws were revised, adjusted and expanded, the code influenced the civilization of Near Eastern countries. It contained nearly 300 legal provisions.

The main principle of the code was that the strong shall not injure the weak. The code set up a social order based on the rights of the individual and backed by the authority of Babylonian gods and the state.