STELE OF VULTURES: INFERENCES REGARDING THE LAW AMONG THE SUMERIAN CITY STATES

Abstract

The institutions, norms and customs regulating the relations among the Sumerian city states which are deemed to be the first civilization in the history are the basis of many institutions of the current international law. The Stele of Vultures which is a Sumerian inscription that survived from the 3rd century BCE, presents a great amount of data with its inscription and depiction in various fields from history to art, religion to history of politics. The royal inscription which is accepted to be prepared by Lagash king E-anatum, is accepted to be the oldest document related to the history of international law. This single-sided historical narrative which presents a part of the boundary and water dispute between the Lagas and Umma city states that lasted over 150 years provides data on many norms and institutions of international law. In the article Stele of Vultures, which is mentioned in the history of international law part of some of the international law textbooks published in West and Turkey will be analyzed from the viewpoint of the history of international law. In the article within the bounds of possibility of the depictions and inscriptions, various rules of international law such as the law between the city states, deity – king and deity – city state relationship, boundary and water dispute, war, signing of treaties, breach of treaties, the sanctions which are applied in the event of nonfulfillment of the deed of the treaty, peaceful settlement of disputes and ceremony which emerges in different forms in interstate relations will be examined.