Page "Babylonian law" Paragraph 4

The population of Babylonia was multi-ethnic from early times, and intercommunication between the cities was incessant.

Every city had a large number of resident aliens.

This freedom of intercourse must have tended to assimilate custom.

It was, however, reserved for the genius of Hammurabi to make Babylon his metropolis and weld together his vast empire by a uniform system of law.