The course will provide students with a basic overview of the main characteristics of diplomacy and law in ancient Egypt and Near East. Through the examination of translated letters and texts of international legal significance (eso. treaties), students will gain understanding of the operational mechanisms of state entities in the ancient Near East and Egypt. This course aims to cultivate a critical mindset towards published translations and foster the acquisition of skills essential for analyzing the content of ancient texts. The chronological emphasis will primarily center on documents from the 3rd and 2nd millennia BC.
Suggested reading:
Beckman, G.M., Hittite Diplomatic Texts, Atlanta 1999.
Cohen, R. – Westbrook, R., eds., Amarna Diplomacy: The Beginnings of International Relations, Baltimore 2002.
Edel, E., Die ägyptisch-hethitische Korrespondenz aus Boghazköi in babylonischer und hethitischer Sprache, Opladen 1994.
Edel, E., Der Vertrag von Ramses II. von Ägypten und Hattusili III., Berlin 1997.
Fijalkowska, L., Le droit de la vente a Emar, Wiesbaden 2014.
Horowitz, W. – Oshima, T. – Sanders, S.L., Cuneiform in Canaan. The Next Generation, University Park 2018.
Moran, W.L., The Amarna Letters, London – Baltimore 1992.
Sasson, J.M., From the Mari Archives: An Anthology of Old Babylonian Letters, Winona Lake 2015.
Westbrook, R., ed., A History of Ancient Near Eastern Law, 1-2, Leiden – Boston 2003.
Westbrook, R., Law from the Tigris to the Tiber: the writings of Raymond Westbrook, 1-2, Winona Lake 2009.