Fiette, Baptiste
The royal domain of Hammurabi of Babylone. Contribution of the cuneiform documentation to agrarian history
- 2018.
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Šamaš-hazir's archives are one of the main contributions of the cuneiform documentation to the agrarian history of Mesopotamia at the Amorite time (2000-1600 BC). This dignitary was the manager of the royal domain of Hammurabi, king of Babylon (1792-1750 BC), in the province of Larsa conquered in 1763 BC. About two hundred documents including letters written to Šamaš-hazir by the king or his ministers, lists of fields, harvest registers, and activity reports drawn up by land surveyors and farmers illustrate the agricultural policy of the Babylonian king. This study will focus, on the one hand, on the concession of land tenures to the servants of the Crown, and on the other hand on the cultivation of barley fields and the collecting of crops sent to Babylon. Furthermore, it will endeavour to highlight the actors of the palatial and provincial administration as well as the writing and circulation of the various documents relating to the management of the royal domain.