This thesis is a philological study of redemption as it was practiced in Mesopotamia in the Old Babylonian period (c. 2000-1600 BC). It reconstructs, edits, and analyses texts and private archives... Show moreThis thesis is a philological study of redemption as it was practiced in Mesopotamia in the Old Babylonian period (c. 2000-1600 BC). It reconstructs, edits, and analyses texts and private archives showing the working of this traditional right in a number of local traditions in the Old Babylonian period. It contributes to the study of redemption of persons a philological treatment of key technical terms. The traditional right of redemption also had a royal analogue, and chapter 4 of the thesis provides a critical treatment of a putative royal edict from the kingdom of Larsa mandating redemption based on a new classification of the text. Show less
This thesis deals with the record management of the Hittite Empire (ca. 1650-1180 BCE). Starting point is the clay tablet itself: its physical features and its colophon. In the Hittite capital... Show moreThis thesis deals with the record management of the Hittite Empire (ca. 1650-1180 BCE). Starting point is the clay tablet itself: its physical features and its colophon. In the Hittite capital Hattusa altogether some 30,000 tablets and mostly tablet fragments have been found on several locations. These tablets span the whole period of the Empire and hold various text genres, ranging from historical texts, letters and inventories to oracle inquiries and festival descriptions. This research has analyzed the physical characteristics of the Hittite tablets. As has been demonstrated, certain conventions regarding their shape and layout surely existed, which could depend on the content of the composition, as well as the time period in which the tablet was written. The research further includes a text edition and analysis of the Hittite colophon, a subscript found at the end of the composition containing metadata of the composition, such as the title, scribe and series number of the tablet. Both the distribution and the content of these colophons are very consistent they are likely to have played a crucial role in the organization of the Hittite tablet collections. Show less
