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Scripture and the ancient world

Inheritance as the Bible, the Koran and the ancient Near East record it, and what archaeology shows of inherited status.

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What do the scripture and the ancient world estate cases show?

Mu'awiya named his heir in his lifetime and collected oaths, and the people who refused them became the opposition to the dynasty. A burial instruction carried out generations later needed an oath, a written record of the land and heirs who kept both.

Stories
30
Years
1750 BCE to 680
Main regions
Middle East, Africa, Europe
Legal traditions
Royal and church law, Jewish and biblical law
Updated
30 October 2026

Every case in scripture and the ancient world, best-known first

Best-known first: cases from 1900 on, then the United States, then Europe, and the people most read about on English Wikipedia each month. Fiction, scripture and legend come last.

Husayn Mosque, Karbala, Iraq 1765: A drawing of the Imam Husayn Mosque by German explorer Carsten Niebuhr during his travels to the Middle East. He drew this illustration of the Im680 · Karbala, IraqMu'awiya made his son Yazid heir to the caliphate; Muhammad's grandson al-Husayn refused to swear and was killed at Karbala with most of his family's menAl-Husayn was the son of Ali and of Muhammad's daughter Fatima (story 22). The caliph Mu'awiya, founder of the Umayyad dynasty, had made the people swear that his son Yazid would be his heir.Internet Archive and 2 moreJoseph's Tomb in Shechem: This is supposedly the location of where Joseph was buried when the Israelites brought his bones back from Egypt.1200 BCE · Joseph's Tomb, Nablus (Shechem), West BankJoseph made Israel swear to carry his bones out of Egypt; Exodus says Moses took them, and his reputed tomb in Nablus was smashed in 2022Genesis says Joseph, dying in Egypt, made the children of Israel swear: "ye shall carry up my bones from hence." He was embalmed and put in a coffin in Egypt.mechon-mamre.org and 5 moreThe Expulsion of Heliodorus from the Temple.: The Expulsion of Heliodorus from the Temple.175 BCE · Jerusalem; Maresha, Israel; Antioch, TurkeySecond Maccabees says a king's minister came to seize the widows' and orphans' deposits in the Jerusalem Temple; a stele pieced together in 2005 and 2006 names the minister and a royal order on temple funds2 Maccabees 3 says Simon, captain of the Jerusalem Temple, fell out with the high priest Onias and told the Seleucid governor that the Temple treasury held "untold sums of money." The king sent his minister Heliodorus to remove it.biblegateway.com and 4 moreMap of Saudi Arabia, marked on the globe632 · Banu Salimah quarter, Medina, Saudi ArabiaJabir, with only sisters to inherit, asked Muhammad how to leave his estate; the last verse revealed answered him, and the caliph Umar said he never fully understood itAl-Bukhari records that Jabir ibn Abd Allah's father died leaving seven or nine daughters, and that Jabir married a widow so someone experienced would look after his sisters.ihadis.com and 3 moreMap of Saudi Arabia, marked on the globe632 · Saqifa of the Banu Sa'ida, Medina, Saudi ArabiaWhile Muhammad's family prepared his body, a meeting in a Medina courtyard chose Abu Bakr as successor over the people of Medina's own candidateAl-Bukhari records Aisha's account. Muhammad died while Abu Bakr was at al-Sunh outside Medina. Umar stood up and insisted Muhammad was not dead.ihadis.com and 3 moreMap of Saudi Arabia, marked on the globe632 · Fadak oasis and Medina, Saudi ArabiaFatima asked Abu Bakr for her inheritance from Muhammad; he refused, she did not speak to him again, and caliphs returned and seized the land of Fadak for 200 yearsFadak surrendered to Muhammad without a fight, so its income was his alone.Internet Archive and 2 moreIsidor Rabi: II Rabi625 · Uhud, Medina, Saudi ArabiaSa'd ibn al-Rabi' was killed at Uhud and his brother took everything; his widow brought their two daughters to Muhammad, and the Koran's inheritance verse followedThe hadith collections of al-Tirmidhi, Abu Dawud and Ibn Majah record the case. Sa'd ibn al-Rabi' was killed at Uhud. His widow brought their two daughters to Muhammad.ihadis.com and 3 moreAl-khidr: en:Al-Khadir (right) and companion en:Zul-Qarnain (en:Alexander the Great) marvel at the sight of a salted fish that comes back to life when touched by the Water of Life.610 · an unnamed town (Quran 18:77)The Quran says a servant of God rebuilt a wall in an inhospitable town so two orphans could recover their father's buried treasureSurah 18 of the Quran tells of Moses travelling with a servant of God whose acts he cannot accept. They came to a town and asked its people for food, and the people refused them.quran.com and 3 moreLuke Tittensor: Luke Tittensor in 201430 · Judea (Luke 15 names no place)Luke's parable of the prodigal son: a younger son took his inheritance while his father lived, spent it, came home, and the elder son objectedIn Luke 15 Jesus tells of a man with two sons. The younger said, "give me the share of the property that will belong to me," and the father divided his assets between them.biblegateway.com and 2 more2010-06-21 06-37-33 Israel Herodium JH (52775611124): Herodium - an ancient Jewish fortress and town author: Jan Helebrant location: West Bank, Israel <a href="http://www.juhele4 BCE · Jericho; buried at Herodium, West BankHerod the Great executed three sons, changed his will in his last days, and died five days after the last execution; Augustus split his kingdom among the survivorsJosephus says Herod had his sons Alexander and Aristobulus taken to Sebaste and strangled, and their bodies carried at night to the family tomb at Alexandrium. His son Antipater was later held in chains for plotting against him.perseus.tufts.edu and 6 moreBattle of Cunaxa: Battle of Cunaxa401 BCE · Cunaxa, near Babylon, IraqCyrus the Younger's mother argued he was born to a reigning king; his elder brother got the throne, killed him at Cunaxa and cut off his head and handHerodotus says that Darius I's sons quarrelled over the succession before his planned war on Egypt and Athens.perseus.tufts.edu and 4 moreCambyses II: Stela Cambyses Apis closeup522 BCE · Sikayauvatiš, Nisaya, Media, Iran; inscription at Behistun, Cambyses killed his brother Bardiya in secret; a man ruled Persia under the dead brother's name until Darius killed him and took the throneCyrus the Great left two sons, Cambyses and Bardiya, whom the Greeks called Smerdis. Darius's Behistun inscription says Cambyses killed Bardiya and the people did not know it.perseus.tufts.edu and 7 moreSennacherib: Sanherib-tr-4271681 BCE · Nineveh (Mosul), IraqSennacherib named his younger son Esarhaddon heir; his elder sons killed him, and Esarhaddon then bound the empire by oath to his own chosen heirEsarhaddon's own inscription says he was the youngest of his older brothers.oracc.museum.upenn.edu and 5 moreHezekiah, King of Judah: Drawing; Drawings687 BCE · Jerusalem, Israel; Babylon, IraqThe Bible says King Hezekiah showed Babylon's envoys his treasury, and Isaiah told him his heirs would lose it; Babylonian tablets record rations for a captive king of Judah2 Kings 20 says the Babylonian king Merodach-baladan sent envoys and a gift to Hezekiah, king of Judah, after hearing he had been ill.biblegateway.com and 2 moreDido building Carthage - JMW Turner: Dido building Carthage - JMW Turner (1815) oil painting814 BCE · Tyre, Lebanon, and Carthage, TunisiaKing Pygmalion of Tyre killed his sister's husband for his buried gold, and she sailed away with it after dumping sacks of sand into the seaJustin's epitome of Pompeius Trogus says a king of Tyre named his son Pygmalion and his daughter Elissa as joint heirs, but the people gave the throne to Pygmalion, then a boy.tertullian.org and 2 moreDe Historie van Iephtah (titel op object) Den Grooten Figuer-Bibel (serietitel), RP-P-1982-306-123: IdentificatieTitel(s): De Historie van Iephtah (titel op object). Den Grooten Fi1100 BCE · Mizpah, Gilead, JordanJudges says Gilead's sons drove their half-brother Jephthah out of the inheritance, then made him their chief, and his vow cost him his only daughterJudges 11 says Jephthah was a mighty warrior, the son of Gilead by a harlot.mechon-mamre.org and 2 moreLegal dispute over land - Nuzi: Clay tablet from Yorghan Tepe, ancien Nuzi. Report of a trial relating to the possession of a land and the "tower" (dimtu) which stands at its cente1450 BCE · Nuzi (Yorghan Tepe), near Kirkuk, IraqNuzi law kept land inside the family, so the landowner Tehip-tilla had himself adopted by seller after sellerAbout 7,000 tablets survive from Nuzi, a town near modern Kirkuk, dated about 1440 to 1340 BC.Internet Archive and 3 moreBoğazköy panorama: Boğazköy panorama 20241500 BCE · Hattusa (Boğazkale), TurkeyAfter four reigns of Hittite princes killing each other, King Telipinu wrote the order of succession into law and spared the men who had plotted against himThe Proclamation of Telipinu sets out the history behind its own law. It says King Mursili destroyed Aleppo and Babylon and brought their captives and goods to Hattusa.Internet Archive and 2 moreHeiliger Rock Trier Wallfahrt 1891 (cropped): Detail of a drawing of the exhibition of the Seamless Robe of Jesus in Trier (Germany) in 1844 and 1891.Scripture · 30 · Jerusalem; Trier, Germany; Argenteuil, France; Mtskheta, GeoThe Gospel of John says soldiers diced for the executed Jesus's seamless robe, and three churches claim to have itThe Gospel of John says that when Roman soldiers crucified Jesus, they took his clothes and divided them into four parts, one for each soldier.biblegateway.com and 2 moreHevron e Ma'arat HaMachpela (14524916927): סיור בחברון העתיקה ובמערת המכפלה Hevron e Ma'arat HaMachpelaScripture · 750 BCE · Cave of Machpelah, Hebron, West BankGenesis says Abraham paid 400 shekels for a family tomb at Hebron; the Talmud says Esau blocked Jacob's burial there and was killed at the caveGenesis 23 says that when Sarah died, Abraham bought the cave of Machpelah and its field from Ephron the Hittite. He weighed out 400 shekels of silver, "current money with the merchant," in the hearing of the sons of Heth.mechon-mamre.org and 4 moreTel Dan - Canaanite Gate: Tel Dan-Canaanite GateLegend · 1100 BCE · Tel Dan (biblical Laish), IsraelThe tribe of Dan lost the coastal land the lot gave it, stole a household's gods and priest, and burned the town of Laish to take a new inheritanceThe Book of Joshua says the seventh lot gave the tribe of Dan a territory running from Zorah and Eshtaol to Ekron and "the border near Joppa." Then, it says, "the territory of the Danites slipped from their grasp." Judges 1 says the Amorites pressed the Danites into the hill country.sefaria.org and 5 moreSpencer Coll. Persian MS. 46 101v Yusha and Musa visit Khidr: Islamic depiction of Yusha (left) and Musa (middle) visiting Khidr (right) from a Persian 1580 manuscript.Scripture · 615 · Mecca, Saudi Arabia (where the surah was revealed); the sea The Koran says a servant of God holed a poor family's ship and rebuilt a stranger's wall for free, to save the ship from a king and two orphans' treasure from a townSurah 18 of the Koran says Moses travelled with "a servant from among Our servants," whom commentators name al-Khidr. They boarded a ship, and the servant made a hole in it. They met a boy, and he killed him.quran.com and 4 moreIsaac blesses Jacob-Lorenzo Ghiberti-The Gates of Paradise-Replica-Neues Museum-Berlin: Isaac blesses Jacob, Rebecca, esau by Lorenzo Ghiberti, The Gates of Paradise-Replica-Neues Scripture · 750 BCE · Beersheba, Israel (Genesis 26:23; 28:10)Genesis says Jacob bought Esau's birthright for a bowl of stew and took his blind father's blessing in disguiseGenesis says Isaac had twin sons. Esau, the elder, was a hunter. One day Esau came in from the field famished while Jacob was cooking red lentil stew.mechon-mamre.org and 5 moreMap of Israel, marked on the globeScripture · 750 BCE · Egypt; burial at Hebron, West BankGenesis says the dying Jacob took the firstborn's double share from Reuben and gave it to Joseph's sons, putting the younger firstGenesis 48 says that when Jacob lay ill in Egypt, Joseph brought his two sons, Manasseh, the elder, and Ephraim. Jacob claimed them as his own: they would be his "as Reuben and Simeon," his two eldest.mechon-mamre.org and 4 moreNaboth in his Vineyard title QS:P1476,en:"Naboth in his Vineyard "label QS:Len,"Naboth in his Vineyard ": Naboth in his Vineyard title QS:P1476,en:"Naboth in his Vineyard "label QSScripture · 860 BCE · Jezreel, IsraelKings says Naboth refused to sell King Ahab "the inheritance of my fathers," and Queen Jezebel had him and his sons killed for itThe first book of Kings says Naboth owned a vineyard beside King Ahab's palace in Jezreel. Ahab offered him a better vineyard or its price in money.mechon-mamre.org and 2 moreMap of Israel, marked on the globeScripture · 970 BCE · JerusalemKings says Solomon's mother and the prophet Nathan had the dying David name Solomon over his elder brother Adonijah, who was later executedThe first book of Kings says King David was old and could not get warm. His servants brought him a young woman, Abishag the Shunammite, to attend him.mechon-mamre.org and 2 more114278 rachels tomb - north of bethlehem PikiWiki Israel: Name: Rachel's Tomb - north of BethlehemDescription: A domed stone structure - on a tombstone - was built at the iScripture · 1400 BCE · Rachel's Tomb, Bethlehem, West BankGenesis says Rachel stole her father's household gods as Jacob fled, and Jacob unknowingly swore death on the thiefGenesis 31 says Rachel and Leah complained that their father Laban had left them no share in his house: "he hath sold us, and hath also quite devoured our price." When Jacob left with them in secret, Rachel stole Laban's teraphim, his household gods.mechon-mamre.org and 4 moreAchan Stoned to Death (89397053): Achan Is Stoned to Death. Portrait done over Joshua 7:24-26 by Gustave Dore'.Scripture · 1400 BCE · Valley of Achor, near Jericho, West BankThe Book of Joshua says Achan hid silver and gold from Jericho in his tent, and Israel stoned him in the Valley of Achor with his sons and daughters presentJoshua 7 says everything taken at Jericho was "devoted" to God and could not be kept. Achan son of Carmi, of the tribe of Judah, took some of it. Israel then attacked Ai with about 3,000 men and fled, losing about 36.biblegateway.com and 2 moreMap of Saudi Arabia, marked on the globeScripture · 1750 BCE · Beersheba, Israel; Mecca, Saudi Arabia (Islamic tradition)Genesis says Sarah demanded that Hagar's son "shall not be heir with my son," and Abraham sent mother and child into the desertGenesis says Abraham had a son, Ishmael, by Hagar, an Egyptian slave woman, and later a son, Isaac, by his wife Sarah.avalon.law.yale.edu and 3 moreTel Be'er Sheva Overview 2007041: Tel Be'er Sheva excavations, view towards south.Scripture · 1750 BCE · Gerar and Beersheba, IsraelGenesis says the Philistines filled Abraham's wells with earth after he died, and Isaac dug them out and gave them back his father's namesGenesis 21 says Abraham dug a well near Beersheba, and the servants of Abimelech, king of Gerar, seized it. Abraham gave Abimelech seven ewe lambs as witness that he had dug it, and the two swore an oath.biblegateway.com and 2 more