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2.3 Political Relations
2.3.1 The International Order
Practically all international relations during the period were in one
way or another affected by the dominant status of the Empire, whose
openly proclaimed goal was world domination. Since international
treaties in the long run worked towards the expansion and homog-
enization of the Empire (see 2.1.2 above), seeking new treaty part-
ners outside the imperial territory was a natural objective of the
imperial foreign policy. On the other hand, many foreign rulers
actively sought contact with the Empire for their own reasons.^20 Both
factors contributed to the emergence of an international order in
which the political status of a nation or state was defined in terms
of its relationship to the Empire rather than to its neighbors. In his
capacity as the maintainer of the imperial world order, the Great
King functioned as the supreme arbiter of political and legal disputes
between states integrated into the Empire and even outside it.^212.3.2 Naturally, direct contacts and alliances between individual
regents and nations also existed outside the imperial world order,
but such contacts were explicitly forbidden in imperial treaties (see
3.4 below) and (if established without the sanction of the Great King)
considered treacherous.2.3.3 International political contacts were maintained through letters
exchanged between rulers and delivered by royal messengers (màr
“ipri), as well as by regular visits of vassal rulers or their emissaries
(ßìràni) to the imperial court, usually twice a year at the time of the
New Year’s celebrations in Nisan and Tishri (the first and sixth
months).^22 Such visits were obligatory; failure to show up at court with
tribute and audience gifts to “ask the king’s health” was interpreted
as an act of disobedience that could result in war (see 4.1.2 below).
Messengers carrying royal mail enjoyed diplomatic immunity but
could be detained at foreign courts for considerable periods of time.^23(^20) See SAA 2, xvi.
(^21) E.g., SAA 1 29: 12–17; SAA 9 7: 12–13.
(^22) On the royal New Year’s reception, see provisionally Parpola, “Cabinet...,”
393, nn. 42–43. For letters reporting on the visits of foreign emissaries to the cap-
ital, see, e.g., SAA 1 32–33, 76, 100, 186–87; NL 16, 21, 40, 50, and 59.
(^23) See, e.g., ABL 1380: 20 and r. 6–8.
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