Assyrian law

As mittelassyrische laws refers to a collection of sayings right from the 12th century BC, which were written on several fragmentary clay tablets found in Ashur and is among the most important sources for the study of cuneiform rights.

The panels were discovered during the excavations of the German Oriental Society 1903-1914 and first published in 1920 together with other texts by Otto Schroeder. The first comprehensive machining was introduced and in 1935 introduced a numbering of the panels with the capital letters AJ, which has since been extended by additional finds to O. Together with the famous Code of Hammurabi were the mittelassyrischen laws subject comparatively extensive scientific investigations, so that today many translations exist of the same into English, German, French, Polish, Italian, Norwegian and Russian.

The collection was compiled in the 12th century BC during the reign of Ninurta apil - Ekur ( 1181-1169 BC), reflected at least in part, but also older Middle Assyrian Law resist. The conservation status of the panels varies greatly, best panels A and B are obtained. Preserved are:

• Panel A ( Mrs mirror ): 60 rules of law to women and marriage law
• Panel B: 18 rules of law to property law
• Panels C / G: 11 law sets a slave right next to debt bondage, theft and custody
• Panel E: 2 sets right to infidelity
• Panel M: 3 rules of law to maritime law
• Table N: 2 Right sentences for false accusation
• Table O: 2 sets of law on succession

Due to their nature, the nature of the compilation mittelassyrischen laws was, like, controversial for the Babylonian codices. Already Paul Koschaker put forward the theory that it could thereby be a law book. In contrast, Godfrey R. Driver and John C. Miles argued that the later also Guillaume Cardascia a state legislator saw at work, who wanted at least in the case of panel A woman amend the law. When compared with traditional legal documents shows that at least part of the time mittelassyrischen laws reflect applicable law. Discussed also was the ratio of the mittelassyrischen laws for the Code of Hammurabi. It was found that no provisions of the Old Babylonian law collection in the mittelassyrischen laws was repeated, but that at least a tendency could have existed to introduce to these different changes and additions.