3.0

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Average Course Rating

The Middle East offers the earliest and most abundant source material for reconstructing ancient legal systems. From stone monuments like the Code of Hammurabi to clay tablets the size of postage stamps, the cuneiform record provides a window into not just legal thought but actual legal practice in the ancient Middle East. Surveying a span of more than two thousand years, we will explore the law in both its deep structure and its regional and temporal diversity. Specific topics will include homicide and personal injury law, family law, the legal status of women, codes and codification, and ancient Israelite law in its Middle Eastern context. No background is required and all texts are read in translation, but every enrolled student is expected to actively participate in this seminar-style course.