Imprisonment from the Dawn of History to the First Fall of Babylon

Abstract

Chapter 1 introduces the period of investigation as well various Assyriological conventions employed when presenting the primary evidence. This is followed by a discussion of the secondary literature to demonstrate the current state of the discussion about imprisonment in early Mesopotamia. After discussing the state of research on the topic, I introduce the primary sources related to Mesopotamian imprisonment by using a hymn to a prison goddess. This literary text provides both an entry point into the discussion and allows me to explain the methodological approach I use to study the sources related to imprisonment in early Mesopotamia.