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In addition to twenty-two original treaties preserved in whole or in
part, more than fifty treaties are known from early first-millennium
cuneiform sources by reference or direct quotation.^24 The majority
of such references come from the Neo-Assyrian period, and it is
likely that in these cases cuneiform treaties are in question. Three
Aramaic treaties from the same period are preserved in the Sfîre
inscriptions (see 1.11 above). References to treaties are also found in
Neo-Babylonian and Achaemenid sources,^25 but owing to the increased
use of Aramaic script in this period it is uncertain whether (and,
indeed, unlikely that) these treaties were drawn up in cuneiform.3.1 Types of Treaty and Relevant Terminology
Practically all the treaties directly or indirectly known from Assyrian
sources were imperial, that is, they involved the Assyrian Empire as
a concluding party; the other party was always a state, nation, or tribe.
Both parties were represented by their kings, insofar as possible.^26
Other types of treaties are known to have existed, but no originals
are extant.^27 By the degree of independence enjoyed by the other
party, imperial treaties can be broadly divided into four main types.3.1.1 Mutual Assistance and Non-aggression Pacts (“Friendship and Peace
Treaties”)
Examples are the treaties between Assyria and Babylonia recorded
in the Synchronistic History,^28 Shamshi-Adad V’s treaty with Marduk-(^24) See Parpola, “Neo-Assyrian Treaties.. .,” 184–86, and Watanabe, Adê...,
9–23.
(^25) Watanabe, Adê.. ., 21–23, lists more than 40 references to royal treaties in
documents dated in the reigns of Nebuchadnezzar, Neriglissar, Nabonidus, Cyrus,
Cambyses, Darius, and Artaxerxes.
(^26) In SAA 2 8, a treaty securing the succession of Assurbanipal after the unex-
pected death of his father, the queen mother represents the Empire. In this treaty,
as basically in all Assyrian succession/accession treaties (SAA 2 3, 4, 6, and 7), the
other party consists of the entire Assyrian nation, including the princes next in order
of succession, the power elite, and the Assyrian rank and file (cf. Borger Esarh.,
40, and Streck Asb., 2–3). The individuals listed as the other party in SAA 2 11
were probably rulers of Babylonian dynastic houses or city-states (cf. SAA 2 9, and
ABL 521 and 539) whose titles have been lost in breaks.
(^27) E.g., Streck Asb., 13 i 123–27 (treaties of Egyptian kinglets with the Kushite
king). Note also Brinkman, “Political Covenants.. .,” 95, and 99–101, and the
“treaty of rebellion” referred to in ABL 1091, on which see Parpola, “Murderer.. .,”
and “Neo-Assyrian Treaties.. .,” 181.
(^28) Grayson, Chronicles, 158, and 166–70.
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