TAKING OATHS IN THE LEGISLATIVE PRACTICE OF MESOPOTAMIA
Oaths were an integral part of legislative practice in Ancient Mesopotamia. They arise in various court proceedings, in contracts for purchase, sale and exchange. Two types of oaths can be distinguished: affirmative oaths relating to the past (or present) and oaths-promises for the future. Both of them can be of both affirmative and negative content. They appear quite differently in the texts: sometimes only the fact of their utterance is indicated, and sometimes they are quoted. In this work the main focus of attention is focused on the so-called laws of Ur-Nammu, however, there is made an attempt to analyze some paragraphs on this topic from other well-known codes.