Author : Amnon Altman
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 584 pages
Book Rating : 4.F/5 ( download)
Book Synopsis The Historical Prologue of the Hittite Vassal Treaties by : Amnon Altman
Download or read book The Historical Prologue of the Hittite Vassal Treaties written by Amnon Altman and published by . This book was released on 2004 with total page 584 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The so-called "Historical Prologue" section in the Ancient Near Eastern treaties is characteristic of "vassal treaties" and documents pertinent to political subordination. It is known so far mainly from Hittite documents, where it serves to present a set of legal arguments, justifying the imposition of obligations on the subordinate party, and depriving that party of the ability to contest the validity or legality of the subordination. As such, it constitutes a potentially rich source of legal conceptions and rules pertaining to the interstate law of the period, and particularly to the law of the treaty of the Ancient Near East - a source whose potential was hitherto unfortunately ignored due to a misinterpretation of this section's role in these documents. Taking as its starting point the premise that the function of this section was juridical and that it was addressed to the divine judges, this study attempts to unfold the legal considerations that underlie the wording of some 20 examples of the "historical prologue".--Dust jacket.