The civilizing trend begun at Sumer had…

The civilizing trend begun at Sumer had evolved to a new level of complexity in Hammurabi's legal code.

The sophisticated legal principles contained in the code reflect a highly advanced civilization in which social interaction extends far beyond the confines of kinship.

The large number of laws pertaining to commerce reflect a diversified economic base and an extensive trading network.

In politics, Hammurabi's code is evidence of a more pronounced separation between religious and secular authority than had existed in ancient Sumer.

In addition to Hammurabi's legal code, the Babylonians make other important contributions, notably to the science of astronomy, and they increase the flexibility of cuneiform by developing the pictogram script so that it stands for a syllable rather than an individual word.