Early Ancient Near Eastern Law. A History of Its Beginnings: The Early Dynastic and Sargonic Periods

210 Pages·2007·6.705 MB·English

by  Claus Wilcke

EARLY ANCIENT NEAR EASTERN LAW

Early Ancient Near Eastern Law
A History of Its Beginnings
The Early Dynastic and
Sargonic Periods
Claus Wilcke
EISENBRAUNS
Winona Lake, Indiana
2007
First published 2003 by Verlag der Bayerischen Akademie der
Wissenchaften in commission with C. H. Beck
(Munich, Germany) as
Sitzungsbericht der Bayerischen Akademie der
Wissenschaften, phil.-hist. Klasse, Jahrgang 2003, Heft 2.
ç Copyright 2003 Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
München.
Reprinted 2007 by arrangement with the author and the
Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften München.
New material ç copyright 2007 Eisenbrauns.
All rights reserved.
Printed in the United States of America.
Addenda and corrigenda to the first printing are marked in the
margins by a ‚ symbol that points to the page number in the
additions where the correction or addition may be found.
www.eisenbrauns.com
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Wilcke, Claus.
Early ancient Near Eastern law : a history of its beginnings : the
early dynastic and Sargonic periods / Claus Wilcke. — Rev. ed.
p. cm.
Originally published: München : Verlag der Bayerischen
Akademie der Wissenschaften, ç2003.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-57506-132-0 (pbk : alk. paper)
1. Law, Sumerian. 2. Sumerians—Legal status, laws, etc.—
History. 3. Law—Iraq—History—To 634. 4. Law, Ancient.
I. Title.
KL1007.W55 2007
340.5u35—dc22
2007002760
The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of the
American National Standard for Information Sciences—Permanence of
Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI Z39.48-1984. †‘
In memory of
Dietz Otto Edzard
Scholar, example, friend

Table of Contents
Preface 7
Introduction ......................................................................... 9
O. Late 4th and early 3rd millennia ............................... 18
0.1 Earliest written records relating to matters legal..... 18
0.1.1 High office ............................................................ 18
0.1.2 Area controlled and relationship between authori-
ties and commoners on different levels .................. 19
1. Sources of law .................................................................. 21
1.1 Law codes and edicts ............................................. 21
1.2 Administrative orders and appeals to higher
authority ............................................................... . 25
1.3 Private legal documents ........................................ . 25
1.4 Scholastic documents ............................................ . 27
1.5 N on legal sources ................................................. . 27
2. Constitutional and administrative law ................... . 28
2.1 Organs of government .......................................... . 28
2.1.1 The king .............................................................. . 28
2.1.1.1 The king as Suzerain ............................................ . 28
2.1.1.2 Early political theory on kingship ......................... . 29
2.1.2 The legislature ...................................................... . 30
2.1.3 The Administration .............................................. . 31
2.1.3.1 Central administration .......................................... . 31
2.1.3.2 Provincial and "city state" administration .............. 32
2.1.3.3 Local government ................ .................................. 33
2.1.3.4 Taxes, public service and corvee ............................ 33
2.1.4 The courts ............................................................. 35
2.1.4.1 Judges .................................................................... 35
2.1.4.1.1 The king as judge .................................................. 36
2.1.4.1.2 Royaljudges ......................................................... 37
2.1.4.1.3 Officials in judicial Function .................................. 37
2.1.4.2 The Commissioner ................................................ 39
2.1.4.3 Other officials ........................................................ 41
4 Claus Wilcke
3. Litigation .............................................................. . 42
3.1 Tenninology ........................................................ . 42
3.2. The parties ........................................................... . 42
3.3 Procedure ............................................................. . 42
3.4 Selfhelp ............................................................... . 47
3.5 Settlement out of court ........................................ . 47
4. Personal status ...................................................... . 49
4.1 Citizenship ........................................................... . 49
4.2 Class ..................................................................... . 51
4.3 Gender and age .................................................... . 52
4.4 Slavery ................................................................. . 53
4.4.1 T errninology ........................................................ . 53
4.4.2 Status .................................................................... . 54
4.4.3 Creation ............................................................... . 55
4.4.4 Termination ......................................................... . 57
5. Family .................................................................. . 59
5.1 Marriage ............................................................... . 59
5.1.1 Conditions ........................................................... . 59
5.1.2 Terminology ........................................................ . 60
5.1.3 Fonnation ............................................................ . 61
5.1.3.1 Marriage contract ................................................. . 61
5.1.3.2 Costs .................................................................... . 62
5.1.4 Marital property ................................................... . 63
5.1.4.1 The Usumgal Stele ............................................... . 63
5.1.4.2 The Blau Monuments .......................................... . 64
5.1.4.3 Gifts to the wife: dowry and/or marital gifts ......... . 64
5.1.4.4 Gifts to the groom ................................................ . 65
5.1.5 Dissolution of Marriage ........................................ . 66
6. Property and inheritance ...................................... . 67
6.1 Tenure ................................................................. . 67
6.2 Inheritance ........................................................... . 68
6.2.1 ED I to Fara period .............................................. . 68
6.2.2 Fara and Old Sumerian periods ............................. . 69
6.2.3 Sargonic period .................................................... . 70
7. Treaty .................................................................. . 73
7.1 Indirect Attestation ............................................... . 73
Early Ancient Near Eastern Law 5
7.2 The treaty of E'anatum of Lagas with Eanakale of
Umma .................................................................. . 73
7.3 The Treaty of Naram-Su'en of Agade with an
Elamite Ruler ....................................................... . 75
8. Contract ............................................................... . 76
8.0 Introduction ......................................................... . 76
8.1 Sale ...................................................................... . 76
8.1.1 Terminology ........................................................ . 77
8.1.2 ED I period .......................................................... . 80
8.1.3 Fara period ........................................................... . 80
8.1.3.1 "Fara texts" .......................................................... . 80
8.1.3.2 Roughly contemporaneous texts .......................... . 82
8.1.4 Between the Fara Period and Ur-Nanse.k of Lag as 83
8.1.4.1 Isin ........................................................................ 83
8.1.4.2 Adab and Nippur .................................................. 84
8.1.5 <?(ld) S(umerian) and Sargonic periods .................. 86
8.1.5.1 Girsu ..................................................................... 86
8.1.5.1.1 The Lu-pa.d Statue and a field purchase by
(prince) E'anatum .................................................. 86
8.1.5.1.2 Field and house purchases from the time of En-
ana tum to the end of the OS period ...................... 87
8.1.5.1.3 OS Purchases of movable property........................ 89
8.1.5.1.4 Sargonic Purchases of movable property ................ 91
8.1.5.1.5 1; Sargonic purchase of a house, perhaps from
Girsu ..................................................................... 92
8.1.5.2 Central Babylonia .................................................. 92
8.1.5.2.1 OS purchases oflanded property ........................... 92
8.1.5.2.2 OS purchases of movable property ........................ 96
8.1.5.2.3 Sargonic purchases oflanded property .. ................. 97
8.1.5.2.4 Sargonic purchases of movable property ................ 101
8.1.5.3 Northern Babylonia and Diyala Region ................ 104
8.1.5.3.1 Purchases oflanded property, a) fields .................... 104
8.1.5.3.2 Purchases oflanded property, b) houses ................. 107
8.1.5.3.3 Purchases of movable property .............................. 109
8.2 Exchange ........ ............ ..................... .... ..... ............. 110
8.3 Loan ...................................................................... 110
8.4 Pledge ................................................................... 113