The texts on Hittite Laws which are located in the Boğazköy archives relay important information that help us to understand the social, political and economic structures of the Hittite State. Animal husbandry as being one of the fundamental activities of the Hittite state economy, the laws inform us with the interesting clauses about wounded animals, confiscated animals by removing their stamps, the return of farm animals (cattle, goats, sheep, etc.) to their true owners after having lost among other herds, about the animals that had a miscarriage, hired, or died outside their native land. In our study we will examine the contents of these articles on animals and try to give an idea about how various animals were classified in such codes of law. Furthermore, we will also focus on the matter of pet ownership which was particularly considered important in the Hittite laws and well have a look at the punitive sanctions pertaining to the pet ownerhip.
Key words: Hittites, The Hittite Laws, Animal Husbandry in the Hittite society, Pet Ownership.
JEL Classification: N95, Z10, Z19. Article Language: EnglishTurkish
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