A Comparison of Ancient Near Eastern Law Collections Prior to the First Millennium BC (Gorgias Dissertations 35: Near Eastern Studies)

This work sets out to compare the pre-first millennium BC law collections of Mesopotamia, Egypt and Hatti. By highlighting and explaining consistent differences in both framing and content it questions the notion of a uniform ancient Near Eastern legal culture. This book highlights and explains consistent differences in both the framing and content of the various pre-first millennium BC law collections of Mesopotamia, Egypt and Hatti. The differences between collections are placed in the broader background of the worldview and political make-up of the societies and individuals that created them, and their historical context. This has yielded a number of interesting results. For example, Mesopotamian law collections do not explicitly acknowledge changes within the law (correlating with an idea in Mesopotamia that the correct ways of doing things were handed from gods to men in the beginning) whereas the Hittite law collection does (correlating with the Hittite tendency to acknowledge change in their history writing in order to teach lessons). These differences correlate with the contrasting ruling systems of the two cultures (Mesopotamia tending towards a more centralised society). This comparison demonstrates that the ancient Near East was not a uniform culture, and calls into question the oft-stated “truism” that the various collections freely borrowed material from each other. While there is much congruity in terms of topics covered (especially amongst the southern Mesopotamian collections), there is very little compelling evidence for specific instances of literary borrowing amongst the laws themselves. The Historiography Of Ancient Near Eastern Law -- The Comparative Method -- Sources -- Overview -- Form -- Framing -- Nature, Funciton And Purpose -- Role Of Judge And King -- Marriage And Divorce -- Property And Inheritance -- Real Estate -- Inheritance -- Adoption -- Contract -- Loans -- Distraint -- Deposit And Safekeeping -- Breach Of Contract -- Crime And Delict -- Theft -- Kidnap -- Sex Laws -- False Accusation -- Sorcery -- Murder -- Personal Injury -- Negligence Causing Loss Of Or Damage To Property -- Penalties -- Corporal -- Capital -- Talionic, Vicarious And Equivalent -- Diachronic Analysis Of Hl -- Was There A Common Legal Culture And/or Widespread Borrowing? -- Systematic Differences And Their Explanation -- Reflections On The Nature, Function, And Purpose Of The Collections -- Implications For Further Research. Samuel A. Jackson. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 257-276) And Index.

This book highlights and explains consistent differences in both the framing and content of the various pre-first millennium BC law collections of Mesopotamia, Egypt and Hatti. The differences between collections are placed in the broader background of the worldview and political make-up of the societies and individuals that created them, and their historical context.

Compares the pre-first millennium BC law collections of the ancient Near East; more specifically: Mesopotamia, Egypt and Hatti. This title intends to highlight and explain consistent differences in both the framing and content of the various law collections. It demonstrates that the ancient Near East did not contain a uniform culture. CONTENTS PREFACE ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 1. INTRODUCTION 2. COMPARISONS 3. CONCLUSION BIBLIOGRAPHY INDEX OF REFERENCES