Abstract and Keywords
This article examines judicial decision-making in ancient Mesopotamia. It explains that the Mesopotamian perception of justice combined the notions of stability and straightness and it was intended to reproduce cosmic order in the terrestrial world. It describes various people who served as judges and arbitrators. It discusses the individual stages and elements of a trial at court and argues that despite its apparent adversarial nature, Mesopotamian judicial practice was in essence conciliatory.
Keywords: judicial decision-making, ancient Mesopotamia, justice, judges, arbitrators, trial, judicial practices
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