In a primarily diachronic study of the adoption texts from Old Babylonian Nippur, the authors examine the contexts and purposes of adoption. As a result, a number of motivations for adoption are uncovered, including both economic (property exchange) and social (family-oriented) functions. Along with discussion of the source materials, fifty-three of the pertinent texts are published in transliteration and translation, including some heretofore unpublished texts. The volume includes a text concordance, prosopographic index, copies of 12 texts, and 63 plates.