this book introduces the concept of property rights, detailing how different cultures and societies historically managed agreements and possessions. Fabre emphasizes the limitations and challenges posed by memory and mortality in the enforcement of oral agreements, which led societies to create more formalized structures. The narrative progresses through various historical periods, setting the groundwork for understanding the development of notarial practices, including the introduction of written contracts and the evolution of the role of scribes to notaries. This sets the stage for further exploration of how notarial institutions adapted and evolved throughout history. (This is an automatically generated summary.)