| This dissertation examines the organization and administration of the production of food in Mesopotamia during the Ur III period, ca. 2100-2000 B.C.E. In the first chapter, I present a brief history of the period, and argue that the political events---in particular, the Ur III state's extensive military campaigning in the east---led to an increase in the administration of the processing of raw materials. The processing of raw materials was carried out in centralized centers I term production units, and I suggest that a study of one particular production unit---the e-muhaldim, literally "house of the cook" or "kitchen"---will shed light on the overall administrative organization of the Ur III state.; In chapter 2, I study the e-muhaldim as documented in the texts from the sites of Nippur and Drehem in the province of Nippur. The e-muhaldim at Drehem was run by the state, and the evidence suggests that it received animals paid as taxes from military officials stationed in the east. These animals were used to provision local guards, as well as messengers and foreign envoys.; In chapter 3, I examine the data from sites outside of the Nippur province. The evidence from Girsu and Umma provide evidence for a provincially run e-muhaldim. The data from these sites shed light on the workforce of these production units, and demonstrate the connections between food preparation, milling, and brewing. The evidence from the rural estate of Garsana, also examined in this chapter, shows that in some cases, these activities were carried out in singular complexes.; I conclude by arguing that food production in the Ur III state in the e-muhaldim was done to provide for state and provincial officials while away from their traditional support networks. I tentatively propose that the best translation for the term e-muhaldim is not kitchen, but commissary, thus highlighting the role in the actual provisioning of prepared foods.; In an excursus, I discuss the MU-sign and the Sumerian word muhaldim, arguing that while the word muhaldim is likely not originally be Sumerian, its origins are unclear.; In an appendix, I present three previously unpublished texts from Girsu, Adab, and Uru-Sarig. |
