Two main categories of texts are included under this heading: royal decrees for the maintenance of temples and edicts appointing or assigning responsibilities to officials. The terms "decree" and "edict" are not specifically applied to one category or the other, but are general terms used interchangeably and might equally well be used for the land grants also. Again, there is some overlap between the categories, as the decrees for temple maintenance frequently assign specific responsibilities to individuals or offices.[[40]] Despite the common theme, the texts in these groups are rather heterogeneous, mostly applying to different temples in different cities and being spread over a wide range of time. They do more to point out the gaps in our knowledge than to fill them. For these reasons, no systematic attempt will be made to relate the texts to each other; rather the discussion will consist mainly of a quick guided tour, pointing out interesting features or problems of selected texts.
40 See just below. Note also no. 48, which appoints a priest in charge of a temple (r. 9-11), and no. 86 which assigns responsibility for the Akitu Temple (II. 34-35).
Laura Kataja & Robert Whiting
Laura Kataja & Robert Whiting, 'Edicts and Decrees', Grants, Decres and Gifts of the Neo-Assyrian Period, SAA 12. Original publication: Helsinki, Helsinki University Press, 1995; online contents: SAAo/SAA12 Project, a sub-project of MOCCI, 2020 [http://oracc.org/saao/saa12/edictsanddecrees/]