Between Legal Theory and Practice: the Sumerian Model Contracts from the Old Babylonian Period

This article examines the significance of Sumerian model contracts within the educational framework of Old Babylonian Mesopotamia. Serving as instructional aids, these contracts closely resembled authentic ones, facilitating the hands-on application of scribal training. They empowered scribes to skillfully draft diverse contracts, including loans, marriages, property transactions, leases, adoptions, and more. Beginning with an overview of Old Babylonian education and scribal curriculum, the article then explores the characteristics, origins, and varieties of model contracts. Through elucidative examples, it examines the interconnectedness of model contracts with other textual genres, such as legal phrasebooks, model court cases, legal collections, and real-life contracts.