A (Humorous) Model Court Case about Adultery (IM 28051; Volk #39)
Introduction The following unprovenanced and undated text records what appears to be a legal case about adultery. J. van Dijk (1962) called it an Ehescheidungsprozeß... Read More
Matthew Saunders
Matthew Saunders is a PhD student in the Department of Near Eastern Studies at Johns Hopkins University. He researches the languages and literatures of the ancient Near East, especially Aramaic Studies, Ugaritic Studies, and Comparative Semitics.
Sumerian Legal Case (ditila): A Lawsuit for Breach of Betrothal Promise (Volk #37)
Introduction The following text is a Sumerian legal case, called a ditila, about a breach of betrothal promise (so Neumann), or possibly a case of... Read More
Šu-Suen Door Socket from Umma (RIME 3/2.1.4.17)
Introduction The following text survives in at least eight copies on door sockets and stone blocks. The 30-line inscribed object included here is a door... Read More
Hammurabi Cylinder (Sumerian Translation from Old Babylonian Original)
Introduction The following text (LIH 58; E4.3.6.12) is part of a bilingual Sumerian-Akkadian commemorative inscription wherein Hammurabi, the king of Babylon, boasts about his deeds... Read More
A Sumerian Legal Case (ditila): Claim of Property and a Slave (ITT 3/2, pl. 21, 5279; Volk #38)
5 min read
Introduction The following text is a Sumerian legal case, called a ditila, which recounts the litigant’s claim over property and a slave as well as... Read More
Rare Semitic Languages
2 min read
In the future, I will feature information about the rarer (or lesser-known) Semitic languages, such as Neo-Aramaic, Mandaic, Modern South Arabian, and minor Ethiopian Semitic... Read More