Research Article

Blood Money in the Old Assyrian Colony Period and Two Unpublished Kültepe Texts Regarding Blood Money

Number: 28 December 26, 2025
EN

Blood Money in the Old Assyrian Colony Period and Two Unpublished Kültepe Texts Regarding Blood Money

Abstract

The Kültepe tablets primarily consist of the personal archives of Assyrian merchants and are predominantly commercial and economic in nature. However, these documents also serve as the principal written sources for understanding the social, cultural, legal, and political structures of Anatolia and Northern Mesopotamia during the first quarter of the second millennium BC. This study examines the legal concept of “blood money” (d mum), a compensation mechanism designed to address the financial or moral losses incurred by merchants in cases of homicide involving either an Assyrian or a local during commercial activities. The study explores the conditions under which this practice emerged, the procedural framework governing its implementation, and the variations in its application between Assyrians and the native population. Additionally, the research presents the transliteration, translation, and interpretation of two previously unpublished documents related to blood money.

Keywords

Supporting Institution

This study was supported by the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Türkiye (TUBITAK) under Project No. 123K488. We would like to thank TUBITAK for its support of the project. We also gratefully express our gratitude to Yusuf Kıraç, Director of the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations, for permission to publish the texts, and to the museum staff who assisted us during our work in the museum

References

  1. Akyüz, F. 2020. “Asur Belgelerinde Kan Parası.” Belleten 84.301:887-906.
  2. Anderson, A.G. 2020. “Death of an Old Assyrian Salesman.” Chatre ar 1:1-30.
  3. Avramovi , S. 2017. “Blood-money in Homer - Role of Istor in the Trial Scene on the Shield of Achilles (Il.18, 497-508).” Zbornik PFZ 67.5:723-56.
  4. Barjamovic, G. 2011. A Historical Geography of Ancient Anatolia in the Old Assyrian Colony Period.
  5. Copenhagen: The Castern Niebuhr Insititute of Ancient Near Eastern Studies.

Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

Old Anatolian History

Journal Section

Research Article

Publication Date

December 26, 2025

Submission Date

November 29, 2024

Acceptance Date

February 26, 2025

Published in Issue

Year 2025 Number: 28

APA
Erol, H., & Toptaş, K. (2025). Blood Money in the Old Assyrian Colony Period and Two Unpublished Kültepe Texts Regarding Blood Money. Adalya, 28, 235-255. https://doi.org/10.47589/adalya.1849528
AMA
1.Erol H, Toptaş K. Blood Money in the Old Assyrian Colony Period and Two Unpublished Kültepe Texts Regarding Blood Money. Adalya. 2025;(28):235-255. doi:10.47589/adalya.1849528
Chicago
Erol, Hakan, and Koray Toptaş. 2025. “Blood Money in the Old Assyrian Colony Period and Two Unpublished Kültepe Texts Regarding Blood Money”. Adalya, nos. 28: 235-55. https://doi.org/10.47589/adalya.1849528.
EndNote
Erol H, Toptaş K (December 1, 2025) Blood Money in the Old Assyrian Colony Period and Two Unpublished Kültepe Texts Regarding Blood Money. Adalya 28 235–255.
IEEE
[1]H. Erol and K. Toptaş, “Blood Money in the Old Assyrian Colony Period and Two Unpublished Kültepe Texts Regarding Blood Money”, Adalya, no. 28, pp. 235–255, Dec. 2025, doi: 10.47589/adalya.1849528.
ISNAD
Erol, Hakan - Toptaş, Koray. “Blood Money in the Old Assyrian Colony Period and Two Unpublished Kültepe Texts Regarding Blood Money”. Adalya. 28 (December 1, 2025): 235-255. https://doi.org/10.47589/adalya.1849528.
JAMA
1.Erol H, Toptaş K. Blood Money in the Old Assyrian Colony Period and Two Unpublished Kültepe Texts Regarding Blood Money. Adalya. 2025;:235–255.
MLA
Erol, Hakan, and Koray Toptaş. “Blood Money in the Old Assyrian Colony Period and Two Unpublished Kültepe Texts Regarding Blood Money”. Adalya, no. 28, Dec. 2025, pp. 235-5, doi:10.47589/adalya.1849528.
Vancouver
1.Hakan Erol, Koray Toptaş. Blood Money in the Old Assyrian Colony Period and Two Unpublished Kültepe Texts Regarding Blood Money. Adalya. 2025 Dec. 1;(28):235-5. doi:10.47589/adalya.1849528

Submission Date for ADALYA

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