Lessico epistolare e rapporti sociali nella documentazione paleo-assira

This study regards the vocabulary and set phrases which occur frequently in the letters of Palaeo-Assyrian traders in Anatolia in the 20th – 19th centuries BC. The epistolary code which emerges from an analysis of these recurring elements permits an assessment of the relationships between the senders and recipients, and more in general between the various figures involved in Assyrian commerce. The work was based on the enormous quantity of letters found during archaeological excavations conducted at the site of one of the most important Assyrian commercial colonies, the kārum of ancient Kanish, which is modern Kültepe. The chronological focus was on the period known as kārum II (1950-1835 BC). The first chapter is dedicated to the study of a number of expressions, interjections and stylistic elements belonging to the characteristic language habitually employed by merchants in their commercial letters. This analysis led to the identification of expressions often used by individual traders, which probably reflected their modes of speech, and of recurring set phrases. It was possible to ascertain that these formulae served both the practical purpose of simplifying communication and to establish or strengthen existing ties between sender and receiver, evoking a sense of familiarity. The study of the traders’ vocabulary was approached from a legal perspective in the second chapter, with an evaluation of possible reference to legal provisions and comparison with other documents of a legal or regulatory nature, so as to shed light on the relations existing between members of the commercial world. Lastly, in the third chapter two occupations in Palaeo-Assyrian society, which are referred to with some frequency in these missives, are considered: the #uhārum, the “clerical workers”, and the ardum, the “slaves”, and an attempt made to establish their responsibilities, duties and activities, so as to determine their status and social role. These diverse perspectives regarding set phrases and vocabulary yield a picture of personal relationships within the merchant community that may contribute to further research into Palaeo-Assyrian society.