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The World's First Personal Injury Laws: Compensation and Justice Under the Code of Ur-Nammu
The first personal injury laws appeared more than 4,000 years ago in the Code of Ur-Nammu, the oldest surviving legal code known to history. Long before modern courts and lawsuits, ancient Sumerian law required compensation for injuries such as broken bones, lost teeth, and severed limbs. This article explores how these early laws worked, what the compensation awards may have been worth, and how they helped shape the foundations of modern personal injury law.

Sara Santos-Vigneault
Jun 296 min read
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