Tracing the Earliest Recorded Concepts of International Law

This book offers a unique survey of legal practices and ideas relating to international relations in the Ancient Near East between 2500 and 330 BCE. Rather than entering into the debate on the continuous development of international law in Antiquity, the book discloses a vast amount of textual material from the Ancient Near East which sheds light on the legal regulation and organization of international relations in different epochs of pre-classical Antiquity. The book is a treasure trove of information for the historian of international law who wants to acquaint himself with the remotest history of international law, while it will also serve the general historian of the Ancient Near East who wants to acquaint himself with the international law of the period.