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Ancient History Sourcebook: The Code of the Assura, c. 1075 BCE
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Ancient History Sourcebook:
The Code of the Assura, c. 1075 BCE
Excerpts from the Code of the Assyrians.
I.2. If a woman, whether the wife of a man or the daughter of a
man, utter vulgarity or indulge in low talk, that woman bears her own sin; against her
husband, her sons, or her daughter they shall have no claim.
I.7. If a woman bring her hand against a man, they shall prosecute her; 30 manas
of lead shall she pay, 20 blows shall they inflict on her.
I.8. If a woman in a quarrel injure the testicle of a man, one of her
fingers they shall cut off. And if a physician bind it up and the other testicle which is
beside it be infected thereby, or take harm; or in a quarrel she injure the other
testicle, they shall destroy both of her eyes.
I.9. If a man bring his hand against the wife of a man, treating her
like a little child, and they prove it against him, and convict him, one of his fingers
they shall cut off. If he kiss her, his lower lip with the blade of an axe they shall draw
down and they shall cut off.
I.12. If the wife of a man be walking on the highway, and a man seize
her, say to her "I will surely have intercourse with you," if she be not willing
and defend herself, and he seize her by force and rape her, whether they catch him upon
the wife of a man, or whether at the word of the woman whom he has raped, the elders shall
prosecute him, they shall put him to death. There is no punishment for the woman.
I.13. If the wife of a man go out from her house and visit a man where
he lives, and he have intercourse with her, knowing that she is a man's wife, the man and
also the woman they shall put to death.
I.14. If a man have intercourse with the wife of a man either in an
inn or on the highway, knowing that she is a man's wife, according as the man, whose wife
she is, orders to be done, they shall do to the adulterer. If not knowing that she is a
man's wife he rapes her, the adulterer goes free. The man shall prosecute his wife, doing
to her as he likes.
I.15. If a man catch a man with his wife, both of them shall they put
to death. If the husband of the woman put his wife to death, he shall also put the man to
death. If he cut off the nose of his wife, he shall turn the man into a eunuch, and they
shall disfigure the whole of his face.
I.16. If a man have relations with the wife of a man at her wish,
there is no penalty for that man. The man shall lay upon the woman, his wife, the penalty
he wishes.
I.18. If a man say to his companion, "They have had intercourse
with they wife; I will prove it," and he be not able to prove it, and do not prove
it, on that man they shall inflict forty blows, a month of days he shall perform the
king's work, they shall mutilate him, and one talent of lead he shall pay.
I.20. If a man have intercourse with his brother-in-arms, they shall
turn him into a eunuch.
I.21. If a man strike the daughter of a man and cause her to drop what
is in her, they shall prosecute him, they shall convict him, two talents and thirty manas
of lead shall he pay, fifty blows they shall inflict on him, one month shall he toil.
I.26. If a woman be dwelling in the house of her father, and her
husband have died, any gift which her husband settled upon her---if there be any sons of
her husband's, they shall receive it. If there be no sons of her husband's she receives
it.
I.32. If a woman be dwelling in the house of father, but has been
given to her husband, whether she has been taken to the house of her husband or not, all
debts, misdemeanors, and crimes of her husband shall she bear as if she too committed
them. Likewise if she be dwelling with her husband, all crimes of his shall she bear as
well.
I.35. If a woman, who is a widow, enter into the house of a man,
whatsoever she brings with her---all is her husband's. But if a man enter in to a woman,
whatsoever he brings---all is the woman's.
I.37. If a man divorce his wife, if he wish, he may give her
something; if he does not wish, he need not give her anything. Empty shall she go out.
I.40. If the wives of a man, or the daughters of a man go out into the
street, their heads are to be veiled. The prostitute is not to be veiled. Maidservants are
not to veil themselves. Veiled harlots and maidservants shall have their garments seized
and 50 blows inflicted on them and bitumen poured on their heads.
I.46. If a woman whose husband is dead on the death of her husband do
not go out from her house, if her husband did not leave her anything, she shall dwell in
the house of one of her sons. The sons of her husband shall support her; her food and her
drink, as for a fiancee whom they are courting, they shall agree to provide for her. If
she be a second wife, and have no sons of her own, with one of her husband's sons she
shall dwell and the group shall support her. If she have sons of her own, her own sons
shall support her, and she shall do their work. But if there be one among the sons of her
husband who marries her, the other sons need not support her.
I.47. If a man or a woman practice sorcery, and they be caught with it
in their hands, they shall prosecute them, they shall convict them. The practicer of magic
they shall put to death.
I.50. If a man strike the wife of a man, in her first stage of
pregnancy, and cause her to drop that which is in her, it is a crime; two talents of lead
he shall pay.
I.51. If a man strike a harlot and cause her to drop that which is in
her, blows for blows they shall lay upon him; he shall make restitution for a life.
I.52. If a woman of her own accord drop that which is in her, they
shall prosecute her, they shall convict her, they shall crucify her, they shall not bury
her. If she die from dropping that which is in her, they shall crucify her, they shall not
bury her.
I.55. If a virgin of her own accord give herself to a man, the man
shall take oath, against his wife they shall not draw nigh. Threefold the price of a
virgin the ravisher shall pay. The father shall do with his daughter what he pleases.
I.57. In the case of every crime for which there is the penalty of the
cutting-off of ear or nose or ruining or reputation or condition, as it is written it
shall be carried out.
I.58. Unless it is forbidden in the tablets, a man may strike his
wife, pull her hair, her ear he may bruise or pierce. He commits no misdeed thereby.
II.2. If a man among brothers who have not yet divided the paternal
estate commit a killing, to the avenger of blood they shall give him. If he choose, he may
be spared. His portion in the paternal estate he may seize.
II.6. Before he takes field or house for silver, three times in a
month of days the buyer shall make proclamation in the city of Ashur, and three times he
shall have proclamation made in the city in which he would buy the field and house. Thus:
"Field and house of so-and-so, son of so-and-so, situated in the cultivable area of
this city I am buying. Such as are in possession or have no objection, or have any claims
on the property, let them bring their tablets, let them lay before the magistrates, let
them present their claims, let them prove their title, and let them take what is theirs.
Those whl during this month of days cannot bring even one of their tablets to me, lay them
before the magistrates, receive in full what belongs to him." If the buyer shall have
made proclamation, they shall write their tablets, the magistrates shall give them to him,
saying: "In this month of days, the buyer made proclamation three times, >He who
in this month of days brought not his tablets to me, did not lay them before me, shall
forfeit his claim to share in field and house.' To the one making the proclamation, who is
a buyer, it shall be free."
II.8. If a man meddle with the field of his neighbor, they shall
convict him. Threefold shall he restore. One of his fingers they shall cut off, a hundred
blows they shall inflict upon him, one month of days he shall do the king's work.
III.2. If a man sell the son or daughter of a man, who on account of
debt was dwelling in his house, they shall convict him, he shall lose his money; and he
shall give his minor son to the owner of the property; one hundred lashes shall they
inflict upon him, twenty days shall he do the king's work.
Source:
Scanned by: J. S. Arkenberg, Dept. of History, Cal. State Fullerton. Prof. Arkenberg
has modernized the text.
This text is part of the Internet
Ancient History Sourcebook. The Sourcebook is a collection of public domain and
copy-permitted texts related to medieval and Byzantine history.
Unless otherwise indicated the specific electronic form of the document is copyright.
Permission is granted for electronic copying, distribution in print form for educational
purposes and personal use. No representation is made about texts which are linked
off-site, although in most cases these are also public domain. If you do reduplicate the
document, indicate the source. No permission is granted for commercial use.
© Paul Halsall, July 1998
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