Detention as Liminal Space During the Middle Babylonian Period

This paper considers detention for the Middle Babylonian period (ca. 1595-1155 BC). Detention was utilized as part of the judicial process and to control labor. The idea that detention can be viewed as liminal space is established by using literary texts. The concept of liminality is then applied to various legal and administrative documents to demonstrate that detention did not entail the creation of a new status. Instead, persons of a variety of statuses could be detained temporarily. During this time, the normal social and legal rights of a person could be suspended until resolution occurred.