Life at the Bottom of Babylonian Society

Download or read book Life at the Bottom of Babylonian Society written by Jonathan S. Tanny and published by BRILL. This book was released on 2011-07-12 with total page 291 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Life at the Bottom of Babylonian Society is a study of the population dynamics, family structure, and legal status of publicly-controlled servile workers in Kassite Babylonia. It compares some of the demographic aspects proper to this group with other intensively studied past populations, such as Roman Egypt, Medieval Tuscany, and American slave plantations. It suggests that families, especially those headed by single mothers, acted as a counter measure against population reduction (flight and death) and as a means for the state to control this labor force. The work marks a step forward in the use of quantitative measures in conjunction with cuneiform sources to achieve a better understanding of the social and economic forces that affected ancient Near Eastern populations.