Regulation of the female Sābītu’s Business Ventures: does a unified corpus exist in LH §108–111?

Abstract

Although at first glance it might seem that §108-111 of the Laws of Hammurabi (LH) are not a unified corpus, this article shows that §108-111 is a unified corpus containing a main denominator - the king/state's intervention and control of the female sābītu's business venture in her capacity as either an entrepreneur or a state agent. In all four paragraphs, we encounter sub-denominators, i.e., (1) the sābītu, holding a leading or supplementary position together with (2) the sābītu's business place or her house, and (3) the sābītu's business activities. Then, although only §108-110 entail dramatic executions, §111 is still part of the unified corpus for it serves as a transitional phrase to the preceding corpus. Overall the different scenarios in the unified corpus of §108-111 illustrate King Hammurabi's idealistic ambition for centralisation and control, especially with regards to the femalesābītu's business venture, thus engrossing the reader in different case studies within a certain grouping.