The aramaic 'fugitive' decree: A new interpretation

Abstract

This paper presents a new interpretation of the so-called 'Fugitive' Decree, suggesting that it is concerned with setting migrants to work rather than apprehending a miscreant. It is based on an attempt to take into account the underlying Akkadian (Neo-Assyrian) terminology, to appreciate the overall structure and syntax of the text and to reflect the socio-political situation in Babylonia during the Neo-Assyrian period. It also makes a tentative claim that the text's terminology reflects the different settlement patterns of the agriculturalist Chaldeans and pastoralist Aramaeans. © 2009 BRILL.