This study is a philological edition of all extant Ur III sale documents, combined with a discussion of their form, content, and legal significance. Also consid-ered are various socio-economic aspects of the Ur III sale, such as the status of sellers and buyers, types of property sold, and purchase prices. On a more gener-al level this study attempts to define the nature of the Ur III sale as a legal phenomenon.
Focusing on the history of third millennium BCE Babylonia, the essays delve into the interplay between ancient historical and literary sources and art. Piotr Steinkeller examines how these materials can provide modern historians with insights into the ancient understanding of history, aiming to create a comprehensive picture rather than a strictly reliable record. The work reflects decades of scholarship, highlighting the significance of both written and visual artifacts in reconstructing the past.
During the third millennium BC, the huge geographical area stretching between the Mediterranean in the west and the Indus Valley in the east witnessed the rise of a commercial network of unmatched proportions and intensity, within which the Persian Gulf for long periods functioned as a central node. In this book, Laursen and Steinkeller examine the nature of cultural and commercial contacts between Babylonia, the Gulf region, and Indus Civilization. Focusing on the third and early second millennia BC, and using both archaeological data and the evidence of ancient written sources, their study offers an up-to-date synthetic picture of the history of interactions across this vast region. In addition to giving detailed characterizations and evaluations of contacts in various periods, the book also treats a number of important related issues, such as the presence of Amorites in the Gulf (in particular, their role in the rise of the Tilmun center on Bahrain Island); the alleged existence of Meluhhan commercial outposts in Babylonia; and the role that the seaport of Gu'abba played in Babylonia's interactions with the Gulf region and southeastern Iran.