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4.4.10 Royal Slaves^91
In slave sales, the seller warranted that the slave sold did not have,
inter alia, the status of royal slave (arad/amat “arrùti). They therefore
formed a special category, but little is known about them, not least
because of the absence of a royal archive. The slaves of members
of the royal family occasionally appear in private legal documents
as contracting parties (e.g., as instructors of a craft) or as witnesses.
The latter is a measure of their special status, as ordinary slaves did
not appear in this capacity.^92- F
5.1 Marriage
Our knowledge of marriage law comes mostly from some fifty mar-
riage contracts, dating from the seventh to the third centuries.^935.1.1 Conditions
5.1.1.1 Marriage could be polygamous, but the marriage contracts
attach conditions to taking a second wife. It could be treated as divorce
by conduct, or allowed on condition that the first wife retain the
status of primary wife (DAM rabìti: BM 33795). In BM 59721, a bride
sues the groom after discovering that he was already married. The
case is settled by an agreement to annul the betrothal (or marriage?).5.1.1.2 Two terms are used in the marriage contracts to describe
a bride still under the authority of her guardian: batultu or nu"artu
(SAL.NAR). According to Roth, they designate an age group rather
than virginity.^94 The terms may simply refer to the fact that the
bride was not previously married.^95(^91) Dandamaev, Slavery.. ., 558–84.
(^92) The term arad ekalli, which in earlier periods stands for a palace slave, has no
such meaning in the Neo-Babylonian period, when it indicates a construction worker:
Oppenheim, “Akk. arad ekalli...”
(^93) Most have been edited by Roth, Marriage Agreements... (cited here as Roth, no
... .), which also reviews the earlier literature.
(^94) Discussed by Roth, Marriage Agreements.. ., 6–7.
(^95) According to Van Driel (“Care.. .,” 192–94), they represent women of a low
moral status. This seems doubtful; see 5.1.4 below.
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