| This dissertation presents a descriptive analysis of the southern Mesopotamian city of Larsa during the Neo- and early Late-Babylonian Periods (sixth and early fifth centuries B.C.E.).;Following an introductory chapter in which the scope of the project is outlined, Chapter Two provides a general historical sketch of Larsa from its first attestation in the archaeological record to the beginning of the Neo-Babylonian Period. Chapter Three examines more than 110 published texts (historical texts, letters, legal and administrative texts) which date to the Neo- and Late-Babylonian and Seleucid Periods and which were drafted at Larsa or which can be tied to Larsa through prosopography or content. By this an attempt is made to identify and describe the role of Larsa as a viable urban center in southern Babylonia during the sixth century B.C.E. Particular attention is given to the intercity relations of Larsa and Uruk, the dominant urban center of the region. Chapter Four provides a study of 24 unpublished legal and administrative texts from the Horn Archaeological Museum, Andrews University, Berrien Springs, MI. A number of these texts, dated at Larsa, belong to the private archive of Itti-Samas balatu son of Labasi, and an attempt is made to incorporate this new data into what is otherwise known of the archive. Conclusions are offered in Chapter Five. |
