“Sedentary and Non-Sedentary Groups in Old Babylonian War Contexts”

The numerous texts from Mesopotamia dating from 2000-1600 BC provide information on the interactions between sedentary and non-sedentary groups in particular in war contexts. After the arrival of groups of Amorite semi-nomads to Southern Mesopotamia around 2000 a.C. from the Western steppe areas and the formation of several sedentary states with reigning dynasties of Amorite origin, the political and ethnic landscape of the Mesopotamian plain was reshaped, which led to the coexistence of different linguistic and ethnic realities. Groups of non-sedentary, qualified by their ethnicity of origin, were often employed as mercenary troops and constituted the backbone of the army, as attested in documents from southern Mesopotamia and Mari. Relations between sedentary and non-sedentary groups also concerned the different treatments of prisoners of war and the methods of their liberation, which implied acts of liberality of the kings, treaties or agreements. Starting from the prescriptions contained in the Code of Hammurabi, the texts relating to prisoners of war, and the treaties and agreements known to us with the indications of the ransom price of prisoners, this contribution will provide a picture of the relations between sedentary and non-sedentary groups in war contexts and in their aftermath.