We propose a reflection about the theme of slavery, from the study of the archives of
an important businessman in the city of Larsa, in the south Mesopotamian, named
Ubar-Šamaš, during the reign of King Rîm-Sîn (1822-1763 BCE). This merchant
exercised relevant economic activities, such as buying and selling land in urban and
rural areas, silver loans and slave trade. In paleobabylonian society, slave labor did not
occupy an important role in the economy, and the conditions of the trade of
servantswere directly linked to political conditions, such as war and its economic and
social consequences. Another objective of this article is to offer Brazilian readers
research sources for the study of economic history of the ancient world, from the
translation of documents directly from Akkadian language and cuneiform writing into
Portuguese.
