Kudur-Lagamar or Chedor-laomer, seem to have
taken Babylon and destroyed the temple of Bel-Merodach; but Khammurabi
retrieved his fortunes, and in the thirtieth year of his reign (in 2340
B.C.) he overthrew the Elamite forces in a decisive battle and drove them
out of Babylonia. The next two years were occupied in adding Larsa and
Yamutbal to his dominion, and in forming Babylonia into a single monarchy,
the head of which was Babylon. A great literary revival followed the
recovery of Babylonian independence, and the rule of Babylon was obeyed as
far as the shores of the Mediterranean. Vast numbers of contract tablets,
dated in the reigns of Khammurabi and other kings of the dynasty, have
[v.03 p.0104] been discovered, as well as autograph letters of the kings
themselves, more especially of Khammurabi. Among the latter is one ordering
the despatch of 240 soldiers from Assyria and Situllum, a proof that
Assyria was at the time a Babylonian dependency. Constant intercourse was
kept up between Babylonia and the west, Babylonian officials and troops
passing to Syria and Canaan, while "Amorite" colonists were established in
Babylonia for the purposes of trade. One of these Amorites, Abi-ramu or
Abram by name, is the father of a witness to a deed dated in the reign of
Khammurabi's grandfather. Ammi-ditana, the great-grandson of Khammurabi,
still entitles himself "king of the land of the Amorites," and both his
father and son bear the Canaanitish (and south Arabian) names of Abesukh or
Abishua and Ammi-zadok.

One of the most important works of this "First Dynasty of Babylon," as it
was called by the native historians, was the compilation of a code of laws
(see BABYLONIAN LAW). This was made by order of Khammurabi after the
expulsion of the Elamites and the settlement of his kingdom. A copy of the
Code has been found at Susa by J. de Morgan and is now in the Louvre, The
last king of the dynasty was Samsu-ditana the son of Ammi-zadok. He was
followed by a dynasty of 11 Sumerian kings, who are said to have reigned
for 368 years, a number which must be much exaggerated. As yet the name of
only one of them has been found in a contemporaneous document. They were
overthrown and Babylonia was conquered by Kassites or Kossaeans from the
mountains of Elam, with whom Samsu-iluna had already come into conflict in
his 9th year. The Kassite dynasty was founded by Kandis, Gandis or Gaddas
(about 1780 B.C.), and lasted for 576-3/4 years. Under