The Early Foundations of Peaceful Coexistence and Social Justice in Ancient Iraq King Urukagina’s Reforms as a paradigm

Abstract

       The development of human civilization particularly in its social dimension is characterized by gradualness and slowness, making it difficult to trace its stages or pinpoint its transformations with precision. It can be likened to a tree that, upon reaching full maturity, appears entirely different from the seed it originated from, having diverged through numerous phases of change, One of the most striking examples of such conceptual evolution is what is known today as peaceful coexistence and social justice. At first glance, these values may seem to be, products of modern European civilization. However the earliest foundations and formative expressions of these concepts date back thousands of years, specifically to the land of Sumer. A conical clay tablet, dating to the early third millennium BC and preserved in four copies perhaps due to its great significance at the time has reached us. It contains the reforms of King Urukagina, one of the rulers of the Lagash dynasty, These reforms are considered among the oldest known documents to challenge bureaucratic authority, which had become excessive in imposing taxes and exploiting the country’s resources for its own benefit ultimately harming the poorer segments of society.