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istration and jurisdiction and were left alone if they did not infringe
upon the stipulations agreed in the treaties. The Assyrian system
itself was hierarchical, with kàrum Kanish (itself under the City of
Assur) at the top. But there existed a measure of autonomy (which
implied self-help) in commercial and judicial matters. Kàrums could
pass verdicts and levy taxes, and during private summons or trials,
people could appeal to kàrumKanish.
The administrative functions were concentrated in the “kàrum
house,” which must have had its own archives.^29 There the assembly
of the kàrum met, and its administrative tasks were performed by
its members according to a rotation scheme, which remains to be
reconstructed. It involved functionaries called lìmum(attested mainly
in financial transactions of the kàrum house) and “week eponyms”
(¢amu“tums), best known from datings, but also mentioned in the
“Statutes of the kàrum.” The kàrum’s secretary (“scribe”) also played
an important role in the running of the assembly.2.1.6 Courts
In the Old Assyrian system, there was jurisdiction on three levels:
by private summons and arbitration, by colonial courts, and by the
City Assembly.2.1.6.1 Assur
In Assur, the City Assembly together with the ruler^30 constitutes the
highest court, to which one may appeal from a decision by a “colo-
nial” court, with the words “Bring my case to the City and my
Lord!” (EL 253:19' and 325a:18f.). Alongside the City Assembly a
few times we meet “the Elders” (“ìbùtum) as a body which passes
verdicts.^31 Verdicts, which never mention names of judges, were sent
to Kanish as letters of the ruler (designated as waklum, “overseer,”
see 2.1.1). They are sometimes called “verdicts of the City” (dìn àlim).
The City could appoint small committees (usually consisting of three
to five persons) to handle specific cases, such as the “five-men com-
mittee” which in EL 244 issued an order and in EL 283 gave a
verdict. It also delegated single persons, called “he who solves the(^29) TPK 1 193, and see Veenhof, “Archives...”
(^30) They function as a single body: see EL 326:36f. and CTMMA 1 84:70 and
102.
(^31) E.g., in AKT 3 37, TC 1 18:3ff., and kt c/k 261.
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