Hamidreza Peighambari; Leila Makvandi
Abstract
The Early history of the Persian Gulf is focused on the substantial political and economic role of Mesopotamia and its relations with Dilmun (Bahrain), Magan (Oman) and Meluhha (Indus valley). Therefore, the role of Elamites and the other people from Northern coasts of the Persian Gulf has remained obscure ...
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The Early history of the Persian Gulf is focused on the substantial political and economic role of Mesopotamia and its relations with Dilmun (Bahrain), Magan (Oman) and Meluhha (Indus valley). Therefore, the role of Elamites and the other people from Northern coasts of the Persian Gulf has remained obscure and unclear. One of the unanswered questions is about the maritime activities of these people. The present article is an attempt to answer this question, and in order to determine the role of the “Elamite Confederation” in Persian Gulf trade, it emphasizes on the necessity of revising the common understanding through the use of historical analysis and archaeological data. This research indicates that Mesopotamian sources reflect only a part of the history of “Lower Sea” (Persian Gulf), which mainly refers to their commerce with the southern coasts. But the scattered information about the eastern places in the same sources and the archaeological data based on the analysis of minerals and objects made of semi-precious stones such as lapis lazuli and Chlorite, indicate the importance of those lands. The waterway for exchange of these resources and commodities, which passed through Susa and the coasts of Fars (Anshan), especially Liyan (Bushehr), like the land routes, were influenced by the political rivalries and enmity of Elamites and Mesopotamians, but was very prosperous in periods. Those periods are historically consistent with the Sukkalmah and Shutrukid dynasties, in which Elamite relationship extended to Bahrain and Oman as well. Thus, in spite of strong political and economic relations between Mesopotamia and southern coasts of “Lower Sea”, power dynamics in the region frequently changed in favor of Elamites and with this knowledge, we can now say that the gainful Sea trade has not been in the hands of Mesopotamia, as Mesopotamian sources inculcate
Hossein Badamchi
Abstract
The Old Elamite documents are indeed rare, but from Susa in the Sukkalmah Period there are some 550 legal documents in Akkadian which provide an excellent opportunity to study Elamite society and culture. The present paper edits and translates a unique and very interesting will made by Gimil-Adad, a ...
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The Old Elamite documents are indeed rare, but from Susa in the Sukkalmah Period there are some 550 legal documents in Akkadian which provide an excellent opportunity to study Elamite society and culture. The present paper edits and translates a unique and very interesting will made by Gimil-Adad, a man from Susa in the 17th century BC. In order to provide the historical context for the proper study of the content of this will, we first outline the historical situation of the period. Then we deal with some legal aspects of testament law based on contemporary documents from Susa, Mesopotamia and Egypt. This study shows that parents could not arbitrarily deprive their children from inheritance. However, children’s failure to provide for the aging parent could justify the disinheritance. The text itself sheds light on the social and legal status of women in Elam and demonstrates most clearly that women had capacity to do legal transactions. As there is no English translation of the documents we have provided an English version as well.
Hossein Badamchi
Abstract
There are only a few Old Elamite documents available today; however there are more than 500 legal documents from Susa, written in Akkadian, that provide us with a unique chance to study legal and social institutions of Elam in the Sukkalmah Period. The present study will edit and translate three lease ...
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There are only a few Old Elamite documents available today; however there are more than 500 legal documents from Susa, written in Akkadian, that provide us with a unique chance to study legal and social institutions of Elam in the Sukkalmah Period. The present study will edit and translate three lease documents from the Sukkalmah Period, which are known as esip-tabal contracts. A comparative study with Laws of Hammurabi reveals that a certain type of mortgage was formulated as lease, in order to provide a way to charge more interest than what is legally allowed. This essay will explain the periods of Elamite history and the variety of sources available in order to establish the historical context. Then the significance of the Akkadian texts from Susa is explained, and finally the three esip-tabal documents are studied from the perspectives of form and content.