The Free Landed Class. Law is typically based on the values of the governing class; that is, those who own property have the greatest risk of loss and are thus in need of income protection. As the ancient Mesopotamian economy was primarily based on large-scale agriculture and animal husbandry, the elite comprised owners of land, houses, gardens, livestock, and slaves. Commerce and trade represented other major sources of income. In the Old Babylonian period (circa 1894 - circa 1595 B.C.E.) a member of the elite landowning class was referred to as an awilum, a noble or "a free person." In the later Neo-Babylonian period (625-539 B.C.E.) free citizens were called mar bane. Legal provisions gave this class rights and privileges that were not available to members of lower-status groups. Esteem among nobles was...