STELE OF VULTURES: INFERENCES REGARDING THE LAW AMONG THE SUMERIAN CITY STATES

Abstract

The institutions, norms and customs regulating the relations among the Sumerian city states which are deemed to be the first civilization in the history are the basis of many institutions of the current international law. The Stele of Vultures which is a Sumerian inscription that survived from the 3rd century BCE, presents a great amount of data with its inscription and depiction in various fields from history to art, religion to history of politics. The royal inscription which is accepted to be prepared by Lagash king E-anatum, is accepted to be the oldest document related to the history of international law. This single-sided historical narrative which presents a part of the boundary and water dispute between the Lagas and Umma city states that lasted over 150 years provides data on many norms and institutions of international law. In the article Stele of Vultures, which is mentioned in the history of international law part of some of the international law textbooks published in West and Turkey will be analyzed from the viewpoint of the history of international law. In the article within the bounds of possibility of the depictions and inscriptions, various rules of international law such as the law between the city states, deity – king and deity – city state relationship, boundary and water dispute, war, signing of treaties, breach of treaties, the sanctions which are applied in the event of nonfulfillment of the deed of the treaty, peaceful settlement of disputes and ceremony which emerges in different forms in interstate relations will be examined.

Keywords

• history of international law
• law of treaties
• Sumerian city-states
• regional international law
• just war

AKBABALAR DİKİLİTAŞI: SÜMER ŞEHİR DEVLETLERİNİN ARALARINDAKİ HUKUKA DAİR ÇIKARIMLAR

Abstract

Tarihe ilk medeniyet olarak düşülen Sümer şehir devletleri arasındaki ilişkileri düzenleyen kurumlar, kurallar ve teamüller günümüzdeki devletlerarası hukukun birçok kurumunun temelini oluşturmaktadır. Bir Sümer kitabesi olan ve Milattan Önce 3. binyıldan bugüne ulaşan Akbabalar Dikilitaşı, üzerindeki yazılar ve tasvirlerle tarihten sanata, dinden siyaset tarihine farklı alanlar için birçok veri sunmaktadır. Lagaş kralı E-anatum tarafından hazırlatıldığı kabul edilen söz konusu kraliyet yazıtı, devletlerarası hukuk tarihi açısından da günümüze ulaşmış en eski belge olarak kabul edilmektedir. Umma ve Lagaş şehir devletleri arasında 150 yılı aşkın süren sınır ve su sorunundan bir kesit sunmakta olan tek taraflı söz konusu bu anlatı, bir çok uluslararası hukuk kural ve kurumuna dair veriler sunmaktadır. Makalede, bugüne kadar gerek Batı’da gerekse Türkiye’de yayımlanmış bazı uluslararası hukuk ders kitaplarının uluslararası hukuk tarihi bölümünde bahsedilen Akbabalar Dikilitaşı uluslararası hukuk tarihi çerçevesinde incelenecektir. Kitabede yer alan tasvirler ve yazının imkân verdiği oranda şehir devletleri arasındaki hukuk, tanrı ile kral ve tanrı ile şehir devleti ilişkisi, sınır ve su sorunu, savaş, antlaşmaların yapılması, ihlali ve söz konusu antlaşmalarda edimin yerine getirilmemesi durumunda uygulanacak müeyyideler, uyuşmazlığın barışçıl yolla çözülmesi için üçüncü bir devleti devreye sokma, devletlerarası ilişkilerde farklı görünümde ortaya çıkan törenler gibi birçok devletlerarası hukuk kuralı incelenecektir.

Keywords

• uluslararası hukuk tarihi
• uluslararası antlaşmalar hukuku
• Sümer şehir devletleri
• bölgesel devletlerarası hukuk
• kutsal savaş

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