This thesis discusses the system of land tenure in the Diyala region, Babylonia, Mari and Alala. during the Old Babylonian period. It comprises two parts. The first part, divided into four chapters, gives a detailed account and discusses the references to the subject in the published cuneiform sources and modern literature. The second part, divided into three chapters, considers the evidence from unpublished texts. Part One: Chapter I is divided into three sections. The first section discusses the purpose of this study and considers the existing literature on the subject. Section two gives a survey of the excavations carried cut in the main cities of the Diyala region and their results. Section three reveiews the different theories proposed with regard to the system of land tenure in the pre-Sargonic period and their validity. Chapter II treats the status of crown-lands during the Old Babylonian period in the four regions. It shows the different categories of crown-lands and the ways of exploiting them, either directly by the palace, through rent-paying farmers or through people who rendered services to the palace. It discusses also the nature of the services rendered to the palace, the procedure for granting crownlands, succession to and alienation of lands granted as such. Chapter III deals with transactions of succession, sale and rent relating to privately-owned lands; the procedure for such transactions and the general scheme of contracts recording them are discussed. Chapter IV summarizes the conclusions reached in each of the previous chapters. Part Two: Chapter I contains an edition of twenty-nine unpublished texts from Tell Harmal and Tell al-Diba`i relating to the system of land tenure in the Diyala region. Chapter II consists of an index to the personal names occurring in the texts edited in the previous chapter. Chapter III provides cuneiform copies of the texts edited

Traiter de l'armée en Babylonie du VIe au IVe siècle av. n. è. consiste moins en une étude sur la guerre qu'en un essai d'histoire économique, sociale et institutionnelle, puisque la documentation cunéiforme produite à cette époque est constituée essentiellement de sources de la pratique. La nature de l'armée qui permit l'émergence et l'expansion de l'empire néo-babylonien (622-539 av. n. è.) a été étudiée à partir de trois milieux sociaux qui contribuaient à sa construction: Les temples qui fournissaient à l'armée royale des troupes d'appoint, formées par leurs oblats, une catégorie d'individus non libres qui leur avaient été dédiés, parmi lesquels certains étaient formés au maniement des armes. Les élites babyloniennes qui payaient une redevance en compensation du service, mais dont la participation se développe surtout à l'époque achéménide. Les colons militaires, des soldats souvent non babyloniens qui avaient reçu une parcelle allouée de la Couronne en échange d'une redevance en nature et d'une obligation de service militaire. À partir de 539 av. n. è. l'armée néo-babylonienne est démantelée suite à la conquête de Babylone par Cyrus le Grand et la région est intégrée au nouvel empire achéménide (539-331 av. 11.-è.). Cependant, les structures institutionnelles qui permettaient sa construction sont maintenues, voire développée dans le cas des notables, non plus uniquement pour fournir des soldats, mais aussi des travailleurs qui allaient se rendre en Perse participer aux grands chantiers organisés par l'administration royale. Pareillement, les souverains achéménides profitèrent du riche espace agricole pour poursuivre la politique d'attribution de terres aux soldats. / Studying the Army in Babylonia between the 6th and the 4th century BCE consists less of a "war study” than an essay on economic, social and institutional history as Cuneiform documentation originating from this period consist essentially of administrative and economic texts. The composition of the military which allowed the emergence and expansion of the Neo Babylonian empire (622 -539 BCE), is studied from the perspective of three social backgrounds which contributed to its establishment: The temples which provided the royal army with support troops, issued from their oblates, a category of individuals denied of freedom who were dedicated to the temple. Some of them were trained in handling weapons. The Babylonian traditional elites who paid a fee to compensate for the service. Their participation developed mainly from the Achaemenid Period Military colonists who were non-Babylonian soldiers receiving an allotment from the Crown in exchange of a fee paid in kind and a duty of military service From 539 BCE onward, the Babylonian army was probably dismantled following the Babylonian conquest by Cyrus the Great and the region was integrated to the new Achaemenid empire (539 -331 BCE). Nonetheless, institutional structures enabling its establishment were maintained or developed in the case of the contribution of the notability, providing soldiers but also workers travelling to Persia to participate in the large construction works of the Royal administration. In a similar way, the Achaemenid kings made use of the rich agricultural lands in order to pursue the policy consisting of allocating lands to soldiers.