Hammurabi I (1728-1686 B.C.) was 6th king of the 1st dynasty of Babylon with the title "King of Sumer and Akkad". He unified Babylonia and in 1692 conquered or destroyed Mari, the centre of an empire (today Syria, northwest of Abu Kamal) and a large part of Assyria. His empire stretched over almost the entire Mesopotamia to the Persian Gulf. In 1901 a stele made of diorite was found (now in the Louvre in Paris), which contains a large part of the laws of private and public law he enacted. This collection of laws, known as the "Codex Hammurabi", is one of the oldest in the world. It states: "Wine is one of the most precious gifts on earth. So he demands love and respect, we have to show him respect.