MIDDLE ASSYRIAN PALACE DECREES (MAPD)

Abstract

The Middle Assyrian Palace Decrees, issued by Assyrian kings, constitute a corpus of regulations governing the internal operations and behavior of palace personnel, particularly the conduct of royal women and the male officials who interacted with them. Twenty-three decrees have survived, promulgated by nine kings whose reigns collectively span nearly three centuries (c. 1363–1076 BCE):

• Aššur-uballiṭ I (r. 1363–1328 BCE);
• Enlil-nārārī (r. 1327–1318 BCE);
• Adad-nārārī I (r. 1305–1274 BCE);
• Shalmaneser I (r. 1273–1244 BCE);
• Tukulti-Ninurta I (r. 1243–1207 BCE);
• Ninurta-apil-Ekur (r. 1191–1179 BCE);
• Aššur-dan I (r. 1178–1133 BCE);
• Aššur-rēša-iši I (r. 1132–1115 BCE);
• Tiglath-pileser I (r. 1114–1076 BCE).

Nine fragmentary sources of these decrees are known, all dating to the Middle Assyrian period. Eight, discovered at Aššur and now preserved in Berlin, were first published together by Weidner in 1954/56. The ninth source (now housed at Yale University), acquired through a private collection, was published by Beckman and Foster in 1988. The decrees primarily address the following themes:

• Palace order: strict regulations concerning movement within palace buildings and grounds;
• Control of royal women: rules on the behavior, property, and interactions of royal women with men;
• Conduct of personnel: severe punishments for various offenses, such as blasphemy or violations of eunuch status;
• Management of slaves: provisions restricting the mistreatment of slaves by royal women;
• Protocol: regulations for announcing the king’s death and for conduct during related rituals.

The compilation of the decrees is generally attributed to the reign of Tiglath-pileser I. Overall, the documents illustrate the rigid hierarchy and strict control that characterized the Assyrian royal court, where the actions of every individual were closely regulated.

Keywords: Assyriology, Mesopotamia, Middle Assyrian, Palace Decrees, Laws.