Fault, Responsibility, and Administrative Law in Late Babylonian Legal Texts (Mesopotamian Civilizations Book 23)

This book presents a reassessment of the governmental systems of the Late Babylonian period—specifically those of the Neo-Babylonian and early Persian empires—and provides evidence demonstrating that these are among the first to have developed an early form of administrative law. The present study revolves around a particular expression that, in its most common form, reads __ḫīṭu ša šarri išaddad__ and can be translated as “he will be guilty (of an offense) against the king.” The authors analyze ninety-six documents, thirty-two of which have not been previously published, discussing each text in detail, including the syntax of this clause and its legal consequences, which involve the delegation of responsibility in an administrative context. Placing these documents in their historical and institutional contexts, and drawing from the theories of Max Weber and S. N. Eisenstadt, the authors aim to show that the administrative bureaucracy underlying these documents was a more complex, systematized, and rational system than has previously been recognized. Accompanied by extensive indexes, as well as transcriptions and translations of each text analyzed here, this book breaks new ground in the study of ancient legal systems.

This book presents a reassessment of the governmental systems of the Late Babylonian period—specifically those of the Neo-Babylonian and early Persian empires—and provides evidence demonstrating that these are among the first to have developed an early form of administrative law.

The present study revolves around a particular expression that, in its most common form, reads ḫīṭu ša šarri išaddad and can be translated as “he will be guilty (of an offense) against the king.” The authors analyze ninety-six documents, thirty-two of which have not been previously published, discussing each text in detail, including the syntax of this clause and its legal consequences, which involve the delegation of responsibility in an administrative context. Placing these documents in their historical and institutional contexts, and drawing from the theories of Max Weber and S. N. Eisenstadt, the authors aim to show that the administrative bureaucracy underlying these documents was a more complex, systematized, and rational system than has previously been recognized.

Accompanied by extensive indexes, as well as transcriptions and translations of each text analyzed here, this book breaks new ground in the study of ancient legal systems.

This book presents a reassessment of the governmental systems ofthe Late Babylonian period-specifically those of the Neo-Babylonianand early Persian empires-and provides evidence demonstrating thatthese are among the first to have developed an early form ofadministrative law.

The present study revolves around a particular expression that,in its most common form, reads ḫīṭu ša šarri išaddad andcan be translated as "he will be guilty (of an offense) against theking." The authors analyze ninety-six documents, thirty-two ofwhich have not been previously published, discussing each text indetail, including the syntax of this clause and its legalconsequences, which involve the delegation of responsibility in anadministrative context. Placing these documents in their historicaland institutional contexts, and drawing from the theories of MaxWeber and S. N. Eisenstadt, the authors aim to show that theadministrative bureaucracy underlying these documents was a morecomplex, systematized, and rational system than has previously beenrecognized.

Accompanied by extensive indexes, as well as transcriptions andtranslations of each text analyzed here, this book breaks newground in the study of ancient legal systems.

Investigates the governmental administrative systems of the Late Babylonian period, drawing on S. N. Eisenstadt’s model of historical bureaucratic empires to show that the governmental systems of this period developed an early form of administrative law.