Hossein Badamchi Associate Professor of Ancient Iranian History at the University of Tehran Resident at the Forschungskolleg Humanwissenschaften: June – August 2026 Research topic at the Forschungskolleg Humanwissenschaften: »Ordeal in Susa in its Old Babylonian Context« Project outline: The institution of ordeal occupied a significant place in the judicial systems of the ancient Near East, serving as a mechanism for resolving disputes when conventional evidence proved insufficient. This paper examines the practice and legal meaning of ordeal in Susa during the first half of the second millennium BCE, drawing on approximately 600 Akkadian legal texts from Susiana. These documents constitute the most important source for the study of law in Elam during the Old Babylonian period and offer a unique perspective on the interaction between local traditions and broader Mesopotamian legal culture. The study focuses on references to the water ordeal in both judicial records and contractual documents. Particular attention is given to the terminology of ordeal, the role of the deity Šazi, and the differing functions of ordeal clauses in litigation and legal contracts. By situating the Susian evidence within its broader Old Babylonian context, the study contributes to a deeper understanding of the relationship between law, evidence, divine authority, and social order in the ancient Near East. (Hossein Badamchi) Research partner: Hossein Badamchi is a fellow at the Forschungskolleg Humanwissenschaften at the invitation of Guido Pfeifer, Professor of Ancient Legal History at Goethe University Frankfurt. His stay is funded by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. Scholarly profile of Hossein BadamchiHossein Badamchi is an Associate Professor of Ancient Iranian History at the University of Tehran. After studying law and history in Iran, he received a scholarship to pursue Assyriology and cuneiform law at Johns Hopkins University. From 2017 to 2019, he was a guest of Guido Pfeifer at the Institute of Legal History at Goethe University Frankfurt with a Humboldt Research Fellowship for Advanced Scholars. Badamchi has published the Iranian translation of the Laws of Hammurabi and the inscription of the Cyros Cylinder, which allowed for a broader reception of the two texts written in cuneiform script.Website: Selected publications:
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