Babylonian Legal and Business Documents From The First Babylonian Dynasty, Transliterated, Translated, and Annotated

University of Chicago Press
Babylonian Legal and Business Documents from the First Babylonian Dynasty, Transliterated,
Translated, and Annotated
Author(s): George S. Duncan
Source: The American Journal of Semitic Languages and Literatures, Vol. 30, No. 3 (Apr., 1914),
pp. 166-195
Published by: University of Chicago Press
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BABYLONIAN LEGAL AND BUSINESS DOCUMENTS

FROM THE FIRST BABYLONIAN DYNASTY,
TRANSLITERATED, TRANSLATED,
AND ANNOTATED
BY GEORGE S. DUNCAN, PH.D.
Washington, District of Columbia
The following twenty inscriptions are taken from the second and
fourth parts of the series, "Cuneiform Texts from Babylonian
Tablets," etc., in the British Museum. The tablets in these two
parts, as well as in Parts Six and Eight, were acquired by Dr. E. A. W.
Budge during journeys in the Orient in 1888 and 1891. Most of the
tablets come from Abu-Habba, the ancient Sippar, situated on the
Euphrates about sixty miles north of Babylon. This city was sacred
to the sun-god Sama' in whose temple many thousand tablets were
found. The city and temple were brought to light by the Rassam
Babylonian Expedition, 1879-82. Under the direction of the
Ottoman museum, at Constantinople, further excavations on the
same site were conducted by Scheil in 1894.
Concerning the uses of the Babylonian temples De Morgan says :
"In Babylonia the temples were not only for religious purposes but
also were places for the transaction of important business. In them
were preserved the archives relating to land, private contracts,
historic records, and the spoils of conquered peoples. The priest
was at the same time scrivener, notary, and treasurer; he presided
over the kings' granaries, and probably also administered justice
in cases of minor importance." One may compare the various
duties of the priest2 in Israel as recorded in Exod., chaps. 21-23;
Deut. 21:5; and Ezek. 44:24.
Of the twenty tablets here edited, fifteen relate to the purchase
of house or field property, one to the purchase of an orchard, two to
the settlement of a partnership business, one to an inheritance, and
one to a lease. Women occupy a prominent place. In eleven of the
1 Harpers
Magazine,
Hibbert
Kuenen,
May,
Lectures
1905,
(1882),
pp. 876 ff.

pp. 84 ff.
166
BABYLONIAN
LEGAL
AND
BUSINESS
DOCUMENTS
167
sixteen purchase tablets women are the buyers; and in six they are
the sellers. In one tablet a woman rents a field property, and in a
tablet relating to the settlement of a partnership, women share with
the male members of the family. Four orders of priestesses are
mentioned. The witnesses are usually males but a few females
are found.
The purchase documents have usually these six parts: (1) the
purchase, containing a description of object purchased as to its character and location, its seller and buyer; (2) the payment of purchase
price; (3) the seller's transfer of b u k-nu, satisfaction, and renouncement of claim; (4) the agreement that the seller and his legal heirs
shall make no future claim to the object purchased; and the oath in
the name of certain gods and the king; (5) the witnesses; (6) the
date. This form of purchase document,' with slight differences,
was common in other cities of Babylonia.
The script of the tablets is the Babylonian cursive. Sometimes it is exceedingly difficult to distinguish certain signs,2 such as
Ag and ta; ga and bi; ki and di; ba and ma; ku and vu; um, dub,
Often no clear distinction is made between
and ab; ul and
.ur.
k, and g; s, v, and z; and between the spiritus lenis
t, ti, and d;
1.,
and h. One tablet (No. XVI).s, is wholly in Sumerian and the legal
phraseology in all the tablets is usually in this language. The
Sumerian is the relic of a time when it was generally spoken and
written in Babylonia. It gradually yielded to the language of the
immigrant Semitic people; but Sumerian was long retained in legal
formulae much as Latin today in English legal documents. While
most of the tablets can be read with certainty, there occur words
and phrases, the exact meaning of which is not yet known. The
context often suggests an approximate interpretation, but we must
wait for future investigation to determine accurately the precise
meaning.
In the notes the more important words, seeming to need explanation, have been discussed. The reading of the proper names agrees
substantially with Ranke3 and Poebel.4 The dates appended to the
1 Poebel,
Documents
Legal and Business
Babylonian
(1909), pp. 7 ff.
2 Ungnad,
Grammatik
Babylonisch-Assyrische
(1906), sec. 4d.
3 Ranke,
Personal Names (1905).
Early Babylonian
Die sumerischen
Personennamen
4Poebel,
(1910).
168
THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SEMITIC LANGUAGES
tablets have been discussed by Lindl,1 King,2 and in part by Poebel.3

From the names of the kings invoked, all the tablets except one
(No. XX) can be dated in the reigns of rulers of the First Dynasty.
Eleven tablets have date formulae at the end. The kings of the
First Dynasty with their approximate dates are as follows:4
Reign
Kings
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
Sumu-abum ..........
Sumu-la-el. ..........
Sabium, his son.......
Abil-Sin, his son ......
Sin-muballit, his son...
Hammurabi, his son...
Samsuiluna, his son...
Abi-esuh, his son.. . . . .
Ammidatana, his son..
Ammisaduga, his son..
Samsuditana, his son.
2232-2219
2218-2183
2182-2169
2168-2151
2150-2131
2130-2088
2087-2050
2049-2022
2021-1985
1984-1964
1963-1933
Years
14
36
14
18
20
43
38
28
37
21?
31?
Tablets
No. I
Nos. 11, III
No. IV
Nos. V, VI, VII, VIII, IX, X
Nos. XI, XII, XIII, XIV, XV
Nos. XVI, XVII, XVIII, XIX*
* Tablet No. XX is undated, but probably belongs in the reign of Sin-muballit.
In preparing these tablets, three works have been found especially helpful. These are: Professor Dr. B. Meissner's Beitrdge zumr
altbabylonischen Privatrecht (1893); Dr. S. Daiches' Altbabylonische
Rechtsurkunden (1903); and Dr. A. Poebel's Babylonian Legal and
Business Documents (1909). After the editing was completed
Dr. A. Poebel went over all the tablets and suggested corrections.
Through the kindness of Leonard W. King, M.A., of the British
Museum, London, in August, 1912, I had access to all the tablets
here edited. My collation, however, added nothing to the accurate
copies made by Dr. Pinches and published in CT, II and IV. Of the
twenty tablets selected, sixteen have not, it is believed, been hitherto
edited, i.e., transliterated, translated, and annotated. The remaining
four have been edited by Dr. M. Schorr,5but his work was not seen
until after the editing of the present tablets had been completed.
The translations and notes differ in several respects from those of
Dr. Schorr.
1 Lindl, Beitrdge zur Assyriologie, IV, 338-409;
2
King, Letters and Inscriptions of Iammurabi
3 Poebel,
Babylonian
Legal and Business
ctf. Delitzsch, ibid., pp. 403-9.

(1900), II, Pls. 217 if.; III, pp. 211 ff.
Documents
(1909),
pp. 56 ff.
Kohler and Ungnad, Iammurabi's Gesetz (1909), III, 1; but cf. Kugler, Sterndienst
und Sternkunde in Babel (1912), Teil II, Heft I; King, Sumer und Akkad (1910), chap. iii;
Meyer, Geschichte des Altertums (1913), I, secs. 327 and 328, and p. 507.
4
5 Sitzungsberichte
der
kais.
Akad.
der Wissenschaften
in
Wien,
Phil.
hist.
Klasse,
CLV (Wien, 1907).
BABYLONIANLEGAL AND BUSINESS DOCUMENTS
ACD
AJSL
BA
CT
DAL
DAR
DHWB
HG
KB
KLIH
MAG
MAP
PLBD
PMSL
PSBA
PSPN
RA
RLBD
RPN
SAR
169
ABBREVIATIONS
= Muss-Arnolt, A Concise Dictionary of the Assyrian Language.
= American Journal of Semitic Languages and Literatures.
=Beitrdge zur Assyriologie.
= Cuneiform Texts from Babylonian Tablets in Brit. Museum.
= Delitzsch, Assyrische Lesestiicke.
= Daiches, AltbabylonischeRechtsurkunden.
= Delitzsch, Assyrisches Handw6rterbuch.
= Kohler and Ungnad, Uammurabi's Gesetz.
= Keilinschriftliche Bibliothek.
= King, Letters and Inscriptions of Igammurabi.
= Meissner, Assyrische Grammatik.
= Meissner, Beitrage zum AltbabylonischenPrivatrecht.
= Poebel, Babylonian Legal and Business Documents.
= Prince, Materials for a Sumerian Lexicon.
= Proceedings of Society of Biblical Archaeology.
= Poebel, Die sumerischen Personennamen.
= Revue d'Assyriologie.
= Ranke, Babylonian Legal and Business Documents.
= Ranke, Early Babylonian Personal Names.
= Schorr, "Altbabylonische Rechtsurkunden." Sitzungsberichteder
kais. Akad. der Wiss. in Wien, Phil. hist. Klasse, 155. Band, 2.
Abhandlung,1908.
TDR = Thureau-Dangin, Recherchessur l'origine de l'criture cundiforme.
USBD =Ungnad, Selected Babylonian Business and Legal Documents of the
ITammurabiPeriod.
ZA
= Zeitschriftfilr Assyriologie.
TIME OF SUMU-LA-fL
CT, II, 34. Bu. 91-5-9, 367 (A womanrents a field property)

2 i-na
GAN XXV SAR eel
TRANSLITERATION.
(Obv.) 1
-4-ita
3
ri
Be-li-ia
Ka-ra-su?ta-ve-ir-tim
A-mu-ru-um
iIf
4
A-sa-li-ia
6 zittu
mi-ia
7 i-ti Ilu-Au-i-bi-Au 8 mdr Be-li-ia
10
d Ma-ia-tum
mrrat A-sa-li-ia
A1 s-he-si 12 i-la i-ta-ar
13 Ilu-Su-i-bi-Bu
(Edge) 14 a-na Ma-ia-tum
15 i'-la e-ra-ga-am
17
16
d Marduk U' Su-musum d Sama dA-a (Rev.)
is la-ilu
21 mahar
it-ma 19 mahar Li-bi-it-IJtar
20 mahar Bur-Nu-nu
d Mar-tu-ba-ni
22 mahar dAdad-ri-me-ni
23 mahar I-da-du-um
25 mahar Ta-ku-um-ma-tum
24
mahar Na-ap-sa-nu-um
26 mahar
Be-li-zu-nu 27 mahar Da-su-ru-um 28 mahar Sin-ri-me-ni 29 mahar
9
170
Be-li-zu-nu
minahar La-ma-zi
31 mahar dA-a-i-ti
32 mahar
33 mahar d NINNI-AMA-MU
TRANSLATION.
1-18 -g- GAN XXV SAR of field, in the march of
Amurum, adjoining the property of Bilia and 1Karasumia,is the portion
of Asalia with Ilusu-ibi'u, son of Belia, which Majatum, daughter
of Asalia, has rented. That Ilu'u-ibi'u will not again bring suit
against Majatum, he has invoked the name of Samai, Aja, Marduk,
and Sumu-la-ilu.
19-33 Before Libit-IEtar, etc.
L. 1. The surface measure was: 1 GAN =1800 SAR. 1 SAR=
Hu-Su-tum
One horizontal wedge + GAN=~
60 GIN.
GAN= 100 SAR. See TDR,
L. 2. ta-ve-ir-tim.
seltener tamartu,
"tamirtu,
p. 85.
die fruchtbare angebaute Umgebung einer Stadt, die Flur," DHWB,
p. 711. The term may be rendered by "suburbs," "environs," or
L. 3. A-mu-ru-um= name of a town, so CT, L, 21.
"march."
of Amurum." In several inscripmdre A-mu-ru-um="citizens
tions it occurs as a personal name; see RPN, s.v. "Amurum."
L. 11. u-8e-si seems to mean "rent" or "lease." In other contracts it means "receive," "divide," and "take out."
Ll. 12-15.
will not again bring
fi-la i-ta-ar ....
fi-la e-ra-ga-am="he
Ll. 16-18. Aum .
suit." e - ra - ga-am = i - ra - ga-am.
has invoked the name of." The sign mu = umu
it-md="he
could also be transcribed as a preposition ni`="by";
cf. Ungnad,
Assyrische Grammatik, sec. 56c. RLBD, p. 19, renders ni. ..
the spirit?
itmfi,
of .
. .
. "they
have invoked."
itmi
=third
sing. pret., itmil=third pl. pret. If niS is read then it-md="he

L. 33. d NINNI-AMA-MU =d Itar-ummi.
has sworn."
II
TIME OF SABIUM
CT, II, 3.
Bu. 88-5-12, 43 (A priestessbuys a field property)
TRANSLITERATION.
2
(Obv.)
--+-1
GAN
ekel i-na Sippar ki
'i i-ta Ul-lu-mi-ni-'i-ti 4 mirat

DA-DA-wa-kar 5 itti Ma-ni-um mdr U-bar-ilu-Au 6 i Ul-lu-mimarat DA-DA-wa-kar 8 d Nu-tu-ub-tum
SAL-ISIB
ni-Ai-it-ti
i-ta Ga-mil-Sin mir Sar-ra-nim
d Samai
BI-SU
9 marat DA-DA-wa-kar 10
12
KUi-BABBAR NI-LAL-E
13
IN-SI-IN-SAM
11
SAM-TIL-LA-
GIS-GAN-NA IB-TA-BAL
(Edge)
171

14
INIM-BI
LiJ-RA
AL-TIL
15
-GA-NI NI-DUf (Rev.)

16 U-KiiR-StU LU18 MUd Samad Marduk f Sa-bi-
NU-MU-UN-Gf-Gf-DAM
mahar Li-bi-it-Istar Sangfi dSamag

21 mahar I-Jar-dSamas sangi dSamag 22 mahar dNIN-SUBUR-ba-ni
PA SAL-ISIB
2
mahar I-da-du-um muklfi 24 maahardAdadri-me-ni 2i mahar Bu-la-lum mahar Warad-dSamas 26 mahar
Mu-na-nu-um mar Id-di-nu-um 27 mahar Nu-tir-dAdad mar
Ba-zi-a 28 mahar Be-el-su-nu mar Na-bi-i-li-u 29 mahar Ib-niEN-LIL mar Awil-EN-LIL 30 mahar dA-a-'i-it-ti ~ mahar Ru-batum mar IE-me-E-a (Edge) 32 mahar Hu-Su-tum marat U-barilu-su 3 mahar Amat-dSamas mar[at] Ma-nu-s-nin-u
34 mahar
Gi-me-ia mar Sin-ri[-me-ni]
(Left Edge) 35 mahar Ma-ta-ni mahar
Wa-.kar-tum
marat Sa-lim-pa-lih-dSama'
marat A-bu-um-waITI
MU E A-AB-BA-HE-GAL
TI-RU-UM
.ar
TRANSLATION. 1-19
i +-" GANof field in Sippar adjoining the
son
of Sarranim, and adjoining the property
of
Gamil-Sin,
property
um
19
IN-PA-DE-ES
of Ullumisiti,
daughter
20
of DA-DA-Wakar,
from Manium,
son of
Ubir-iluiu, and from Ullummisiti, daughter of DA-DA-wakar, has

Nutubtum, priestess of Samai, daughter of DA-DA-wakar, bought.
For its full price shall she weigh out silver. He has passed over
His claim is ended. His heart is satisfied. That in
the bukanu.
the future one will not bring suit against the other, they have invoked
the name of SamaB, Marduk, and Sabium.
20-38 Before Libit-IEtar, etc.
39 In the month Tiru of the year when the canal Tamtu-hegallu
[was dug].
GAN =900 SAR;
L. 1. 3+~3 GAN.
3= (GAN)
i -GAN='
L. 5.
L. 2. Ga-mil-Sin, RPN =Bi-lah-Sin.
see TDR, p. 85.
L. 8. SALThe last signs in 5, 7, and 32= remnants of erasures.
ISIB; the sign appears to be composed of SAL+ME=SAL+ISIB.
ISIB =" priest." SAL-ISIB ="woman priest," i.e., priestess; see
PMSL, p. 194. In these tablets three other orders of priestesses
are mentioned; but the distinctive characteristics of each are not
Ll. 10-19. The stereotyped legal terminology in
known.
Sumerian, retained in Babylonian documents as Latin in English
IN= prefix denoting perL. 10. IN-SI-IN-SAM.
legal documents.
172
feet tense. Infix SI-INmay = AU-UN= nasalization of `u = "toward."

Change of u to I due to preceding I of IN. IN-SI-IN-SAM = isim.
L. 12. NI-LAL-E.
L. 11. SAM-TIL-LA-BI-SU =ana AimiAu gamri.
=
LAL
verbal
= "weigh out," "pay."
NI
prefix denoting permansive.
L. 13. GIS-GkN-NA IB-TA-BAL=
NI-LAL-E = i ak al.
E =future.
bukdnam Sutuk. The ceremony here referred to is not known.
It is not clear just what the bukinu was. The translation, "he
is therefore doubtful. Something
has passed over the bukinu,"
was apparently handed the purchaser by the owner to signify that
the property was legally transferred from the latter to the former.
Peiser, KB, IV, 11, renders: "Den . . . . -Stab hat man hiniibergehen lassen." Meissner, Aus dem altbabylonischenRecht, p. 6:
"Den [M6rser] kl6ppel hat man hinilbergehen lassen"; cf. MAP,
p. 120; RLBD, p. 19: "The bukdnu has been transferred";
Langdon, PSBA, XXXIII, 191: "With the bukinu he has been
passed over." Langdon, ZA, XXV, 208, says: "The earliest occurrence of this phrase is in a record of purchase of slaves by Lugalusumgal, patesi of Lagash, and contemporary of Naram-Sin, published
by F. Thureau-Dangin in RA, IV, P1. X, No. 32. Here the form
appears as GIS-A IB-TA-BAL-ES, "with the rod [?] they have been
passed over." The Semitic translation has, however, bukdnam
sutuk, CT, IV, 33b, 10; VI, 40b, 8. The Sumerian indirect case,
shows that
GISA, GISKANNA, as well as the accusative bukana(m),
bukqnu cannot be subject. Moreover, the plural of BAL in the
form cited above proves that the slaves or subjects sold are the
subject. The two contracts which contain the earliest reference to
this ceremony (RA, IV, P1. X, No. 32, and the contract published
here) concern the sale of slaves. Moreover, the grammatical commentary in legal texts (K, 46, IV, 12) places the explanation of
in a section concerning slavery. The cereGISKANNA IB-TA-AN-BAL
mony, therefore, originally pertained to the sale of slaves and meant
that the stamp or mark of ownership was changed. The bukinu
may be a "dye or stamp with a short handle." Mercer, AJSL,
XXIX, 67, note 1, says: "By the time of the jlammurabi period the
use of the bukinu had become ritualistically stereotyped, and was
L. 14. INIM-BI AL-TIL=avaz U
common to all kinds of sales."
gamrat = "his claim is ended," i.e., the seller is now through with

the property.
INIM= "claim
of seller in thing sold."
173
AL like NI
L. 15. 4S-GA-NI-NI-DU=libbu'u
is a permansive prefix.
ab.
G
end
but
at
of a word unless protected by a vowel is
NI-DU= NI-DUG,
dropped. The usual form is AL-DUbut ALand NI are interchangeable
permansive prefixes. The satisfaction referred to is of course that
of the seller.
ana amili.
L. 16.
L. 17.
U-KUR-Sf Li-Lb-RA= ana m'at ma a mlu

MU-MU-UN-GI-GI-DAM=la itar.
GI=tdru,
"turn," "make claim," "bring suit." The force of reduplication in

Sumerian is not as yet clear. DAM=verbal prefix of third person.
NU-MU-UN-GI-GI-DAM is apparently used in older texts; and GU-NUMA-MA-Ain later texts. The meaning in each case is the same.
L. 19. IN-PA-DE-ES=itmin.
L. 22. d NIN-Unba-ba-ni,
RPN,
=d NIN-4Au-ba-ni
PA SAL ISIB= "secretary of the priestess."
PA=aklu="an
official, most probably a scribe," PMSL, p. 266.
aklu="Schreiber,
Schriftkundiger, Gelehrter," DHWB, p. 56.
Full form=mugSlu sikkati.
L. 23. mu'ilu="gate-keeper."
A synonym =p tfi (sikkati); see DHWB, p. 62.
L. 29. Ib-ni=
RPN
RPN
Ib-ni-Bl.
=Awil-Bel.
EN-LIL,
Awil-EN-LIL,
L. 39. TI-RU-UM. In
L. 33. mdr=scribal error for mdrat.
RLBD there are two documents, Nos. 35 and 36, apparently duplicates, although differing slightly. In No. 35 the month is PIN-GAB-A
=warahsamna=the
eighth month. In No. 36, the month is
TI-RI-UM. We may then infer that TI-RI-UM =the eighth month.
TI-RU-UM = TI-RI-UM; see RLBD, p. 24, annotations. E A-AB-BA-HEGAL. E, the archaic sign, seems to indicate an irrigation ditch; cf.
A-AB-BA=tamtum="ocean."
TDR, 109, and PMSL, p. 92.
HE-GAL= "abundance." Lindl, BA, IV, 364: "XIII und XIV Jahr.
E
wassergraben (DHWB, 577a) und Erdwall, Damm (ibid., 51a); vgl.
auch PSBA, XX, 17, wo Rev. Ball das Zeichen E als Kanal mit einer
Schleusse erklart. Der Name Tdmtu-begallu

(tamtu, Meer=
A-AB-BA) passt besser fiir einem Kanal, einen Graben, ein Reservoir.
Die vom Verbum erhaltenen Spuren (GAL?) lassen eine sichere Deutung noch nicht zu. Das Datum des XIII Jahres in der (sicher
abgekiirzten) Fassung MU E A-AB-BA-LEGALLU findet sich auch
Bu. 88-5-12, 43 z 39." KLIH, III, 222: "MU E A-AB-[BAHE-GALM]....],
abundance [ .
U[N=
The year in which the gulf of the ocean [gave]

. .
.."
The date was the thirteenth year of Sabium.
174
III
CT, IV, 45a. Bu. 88-5-12, 681 (A man buys a field property)
1
8 GAN elkel i-na
ugar A-za-ri-im
i-ta Nu-dr-i-li-Au mar KA-sa-ku-bi A3 i i-ta A-bi-il-ku-bi mar
Zi-ik-rum 4 SAG-BI DISkam a-na (a) bit Su-la-ak-bi-im SAG-BI
MINkam
a-na ekel 6 'a Na-bi-dSama'
u-si 7 itti A-bi-il-ku-bi
(Edge)
8mr Zi-ik-li-im
dA-ha-am-ar~-i (i-V,) 10 INN-SI-IN-AM
TRANSLITERATION.
(Obv.)
11
12
SAM-TIL-LA-BI-St'
TA-BAL
(Rev.)
14
KU-BABBAR
INIM-BI
IN-NA-LAL
AL-TIL
U-KUR-4S!
13
GIS-GAN-NA
LU-LU-RA
15
IBGJ-
Sa-bi-um 17 IN-PX-DA
18 mahar
IJ-me-Sin mar Gimil-Nu-nu 1'9 mahar d
Nannar-A-MAH
d
2o mar A-ha-am-ir-su 21 mahar Samas-da-ia-an 22 mar Sinka-vi-id 23 mahar IJ-me-Sin 24 mar I-da-na-id (Edge) 25 ma27 mahar Sin-i-din-nam
Ir-me-Sin
bar Sin-i-din-nam 26 mAr
mdr Ilu[-8u-ra-bi] (Left edge) 28 mahar Na-bi-i-lf-u 29 mar
A-bu-ni 30 mahar Ilu-su-ba-ni 31 mir d Nannar-MA-AN-Si.
GAN Of field in the district of Azar:m
TRANSLATION. 1-17
21I
the
of
property
adjoining
Nfir-ili'u, son of KAiia-kubi, and adjoining
the property of Abil-kubi, son of Ziklum, its one front goes out to
the house of Sulakbim, its other front, to the field of Nabi-Samana
from Abil-kubi, son of Ziklum, has Abam-arvi bought. For its full
price has he weighed out to him silver. He has passed over the
His claim is ended. That in the future one will not bring
bukqnu.
suit against another, they have invoked the name of Samav, Marduk,
and Sabium.
Before IJme-Sin, etc.
L. 4. SAG-BI
GAN=200 SAR; cf. No. I, note 1. 1.
L.oo21.
UM-NU-MA-MX-A
16
MU dSama, dMarduk ii
SAG=putum=
"front." The a before bit is a scribal error.
L. 9. i-sa.
There are a number of such errors in this tablet.
The scribe probably intended to write in Semitic i- a-am; but
changed his mind and wrote the Sumerian equivalent, IN-SI-IN-SAM,
L. 12.
in the following line.
L. 15. GUGU-NU-UM-MA-MA-A = ul iragam.
IN-NA-LAL=is.kul.
UM-NU-MA-MA-A is a scribal error for
The verb is here reduplicated. Final
MA(L)=vakinu="make."
A from an original E denotes future. The change of E to A is due to
the preceding A.
L. 17. IN-PA-DA is a scribal error for IN-PA-DEDISkam.
BABYLONIAN
LEGALAND BUSINESSDOCUMENTS
175
L. 19. d
with Nannar is he sublime."
Nannar-X-MAt="
RPN=d Nannar-DA-MAH; see CT, VIII, 4a, 20=d Nannar-A-MALI.
L. 31. d Nannar-MA-AN-Si, RPN=d Nannar-MA-AN-SUM.
ES.
IV
TIME OF ABI-SIN
CT, IV, 33b. Bu. 88-5-12, 580 (A man buys a plot with house)
TRANSLITERATION.
2 i-ta E-ri(Obv.) 1 I SAR X GIN
?-D!-A
ba-am 3 i d~ama-a-bu-gu 4 itti Pa-ka-i-la 5 dA-bu-um-wa-kar
6
mar I-din-Sin 7 i-ka-am a-na i-mi-gu S ga-am-ri-im 9 kas10
bu-ka-nam gu-tu-uk (Edge) 11 a-wa-zu gapam IN-NA-LAL
am-ra-at 12 a-di wa-ar-ki-at 13 um-mi-im (Rev.) 14 a-wi-lum
a-na a-wi-lim '5 la i-ra-ga-mu 16 sum d Samag dA-bil-Sin
20 mahar
17 it-ma 18 mahar Bu-nu-MA-MU 19 mdr Di-li-ilu
Su-ub-na-ilu 21 mahar Ia-dah-ilu 22 mard Ia-ku-ub-ilu 23 mahar Sin-i-kil-[a]-am 24 mir A-lu-ka 25 mahar Na-ra-am-i-li-su
26 mar Ilu-su-ba-ni.
TRANSLATION.
1-17 I SAR X GIN of a plot with house adjoining
the property of Eribam and Samas-abusu, from Paka-ila has Abumwalkar,son of Idin-Sin, bought. For its full price has he weighed out
to him silver. He has passed over the bukanu.
His claim is
That
in
will
ended.
the future one
not bring suit against the other,
the name of Samas and Abil-Sin he has invoked.
18-34 Before Bunu-MAMU, etc.
This inscription has been edited by Schorr, SAR, No. 17.
L. 1. GIN=a surface measure. I SAR= 60 GIN. GIN Was also a
weight= I mina; cf. No. VI, note 1. 10. P,-DU-A= "bitu ep'u (passive intransitive adjective formation like bitu abtu, bitu nadu)
designates the ground as far as it is covered by buildings," PLBD,
p. 4, note. Poebel renders by "built house"; Ungnad, HG, III, 66,
No. 253="bebautes Hausgrundstiick"; Schorr, SAR, No. 17=
"gebautes Haus"; so Meissner, MAP, p. 130, and Daiches, Altbabylonische Rechtsurkunden, p. 50. Langdon, PSBA, XXXIII,
190="A plot with house," and ibid., p. 241="land with house."
The exact nature of the E-DU-A is not known. Perhaps "a plot with
house" fairly well expresses the meaning.
L1. 7-17. The legal
is
in
with
the
terminology
Babylonian
exception of IN-NA-LAL.
176
THE
AMERICAN
JOURNAL
OF SEMITIC
LANGUAGES
L. 17. it-ma=third
sing. pret. The plural, itmi!, would be
in
such contracts. The singular may mean
is
usual
as
expected
that each of the contracting parties has sworn, and so itmd is used.
MAMU=
L. 18. Bu-nu-MA-MU,
RPN=Bu-nu-ma-hir
(shar?).
L. 23. Sin"a dream god." Bu-nu-MA-MU= "child of MAMU."
error
the
sa
has
been
scribal
omitted.
By
i-ki[- a]-am.
V
TIME OF SIN-MUBALLIT
CT, II, 4. Bu. 88-5-12, 60 (Inheritanceof a plot with house and of a

plot without house)
TRANSLITERATION. (Obv.) 1 I SAR E-DU-A Al KIZ-LAH 2 ita
bit U-bar-ri-ia 3 t ita bit Pu-tur-Sin 4 ganu-u mu-zu-um a-na
AIb-nist-ikim 5 zittu d PR-RA-na-sir 6 A itti Sin-i-ki-sa-am
10
zi-zu-u
a-di
if-tu bi-e
8 i-zu-i-zu
d ama
ga-amhurdsi
rum xx ahum a-na a-hi-im 12 i-ul i-ra-ga-am (Edge) 13 MU
d
ama8 d A-a 14 d Marduk 15 ii Sin-mu-ba-li-it 16 IN-PA-Demahar Sin-pu-ut-ra-am is mahar Li-bu-ra-am 19 ma1
ME-ES
lar Sin-ma-gir 20 mahar Sin-i-din-nam 21 mahar Warad-i-lf- u
22 mahar
Jd~ha-ra 23 mahar Warad-dMAR-TU 24 mabar Sinilum 25 mahar Li-bur-na-di-Su 26 MU ID TU-TU-HE-GAL
TRANSLATION.
1-16 I
SAR
of plot with house and of plot
without house, on the one side adjoining the house of Ubarija, and
on the other side adjoining the field of Putur-Sin, the second exit
being toward the street, is the inheritance portion of
bR-RA-nasir
which he received by division with Sin-ikliam and Ibni-Samas.
From chaff to gold, the division is completed. That one will not
bring suit against the other, they have invoked the name of Sama',
Aja, Marduk, and Sin-muballit.
17-25 Before Sin-putram, etc.
26 In the year when the canal Tutu-hegal [was dug].
This inscription has been edited by Schorr, SAR, No. 20.
L. 1. KIZ-LAH. PLBD, p. 12, note, says: "KIZLAH, KI-KAL, or
KI-GAL
(pronounced with nasalization
KANKAL),
and
KI-SHUB-BA
have practically all the same meaning of uncultivated ground, or

ground not covered with buildings, against E-DU-A, built house or
land covered by buildings. The identity of the first two terms can
177
hardly be doubted, since both are rendered with teriktu and

nidiitu, but it is no less certain that nidiitu is the direct translation of KI-SHUB-BA." Like E-DU-A the exact meaning of KIZ-LAH is
obscure. The rendering "plot without house" is given as a possible
meaning. Other interpretations are SAR, No. 20: " Odlandsgrund";
HG, III, 16, No. 39: "Speicher?"; DAR, p. 12: "Hochland?";
MAP, No. 20: "Hochland"; Langdon, PSBA, XXXIII, 236:
"demolished house"; Thureau-Dangin, RA, VIII, 73: E-KISLAH=
L. 4. sanu-u mumak anum = "grenier " = "storehouse."
=
zu-um ="the
second exit." It is also possible to transliterate the
Babylonian: II ammatu =--"two ells exit"; so SAR, No. 20, and
L. 9. is-tu bi-e a-di burusi
Ungnad, HG, III, 16, No. 39.
was formerly rendered "from mouth to gold," with the idea that
the transaction from the oral agreement to the payment had been
settled. The word bi-e, however, is not from pi, "mouth," but
from p i= "threshed straw," "chaff." The expression "from chaff
to gold" means that from the least valuable to the most valuable,
that is, completely, has the division been made; cf. ACD, p. 789;
= a later form of IN-PA-D]E-ES.
L. 16. IN-PA-DIE-ME-ES
HG, V, 119.
The ME="to be many."
L. 26. KLIH, III, 226 (Chronicle of
MU-UN-BA-AL.
Sin-muballit), renders: "MU(ID) (DINGIR)
TU-TU-IIE-GAL
The year in which the canal named Tutu-hegallu
was dug"; ibid.,
note 26: " Upon contract tablets the formula for this year is generally
abbreviated
to
It
MU(ID)
corresponds
to
the
TU-TU-_E-GAL."
thirteenth year of his reign.
Lindl, BA, IV, 350, renders: "13
MU NIR ilTU-TU-HEGALLU MU-UN-BA-AL,13. Jahr, da er den Kanal
Tutu (oder Marduk)-hegallu
gegraben."
VI
20a.
Bu.
285
(A priestessbuys a plot with house)
CT, IV,
88-5-12,
TRANSLITERATION. (Obv.) 1 XIV GAN E-DU-A ita bit Saita bit Ib-ni-dSamas 3 itti Nu-ru-um-li-zi 4 mar
ab-tum 2
Sin-i-ki-sa-am 5 dHu-~u-tum SAL-ISIB dS6ama 6 mdrat Ibni-dASama
10
IV
GAN-NA
(Rev.)
GIN
i-na
a-me-ri-sa
KtZ-BABBAR
IB-TA-BAL
12
14 GU-NU-UM
IN-NA-LAL
INIM-BI
MA-MA-A
9
(IN-NA-LAL)
IN-SI-SAM
AL-TIL
15
SAM-TIL-LA-BI-SU
(Edge)
U-KUR-SU
MU dSamag dA-a
13
GISLT-LB-RA
dMarduk
178
16
THE
AMERICAN
Sin-mu-ba-li-it
17
JOURNAL
OF SEMITIC
IN-PA-DE-ME-ES
I8
LANGUAGES
mahar Sin-i-ki-sa-am
mahar
mar
l-la-dASama'mdr Ib-ni-dSamav
mahar -2sur-a-wa-at-dSamar 2 mir d~amag-HE-GAL 22 mahar
Ni-id-nu-a
23 mir Sin-e-ri-ba-am 24 mahar Sipparki-sadi-i
I-bi-dAU-BR
19
20
25
mir
Uj_-KI-ia
26
MU BAD ERES-KI
1-17 XIV GAN of plot with house, adjoining

the house of Sabtum and adjoining the house of Ibni-Samas, from
Nurum-lizi, son of Sin-ikiiam, has Huvutum, priestess of Samas,
daughter of Ibni-Samas, with her ring-money bought. For its full
price has she weighed out to him IV GIN of silver. He has passed
His claim is ended. That in the future one will
over the bukinu.
not bring suit against the other, the name of Samas, Aja, Marduk,
and Sin-muballit, they have invoked.
18-25 Before Sin-ilkidam,etc.
26 In the year when the wall of Ere' [was built].
L. 1. XIV GANSOthe text. GANmay be a scribal error for SAR.
It hardly seems possible to have such an extensive "'plot with
house" as XIV GAN implies. It might be possible to read: I BURL. 7. gAGAN (=a whole GAN) and four subdivisions of a GAN.
me-ri- A=" her ring-money." DAL4, p. 189: "Aemiru (altbabyl.
Ring (Fingerring)." In these contracts it
severu, saveru)
appears to have the meaning "ring-money," i.e., the private
L. 10. GiN= Siklu= -' mina.
money belonging to a woman.
L. 18. I-bi1
se. IN-NA-LAL
repeated by mistake.
i.klu=180
L. 26. KLIH, III, 226 (ChrondU-sBUR, RPN= I-bi-dNIN-SAW.
The year in which
icle of Sin-muballit): "MU BAD ERES(KI) BA[-RU].
the wall of Ere8 was built"; ibid., note 37: " The tablet Bu. 88-5-12,
285, is dated in this year under the abbreviated formula MU BAD
It corresponds to the fifteenth year of his reign. Lindl,
ERES(KI)."
15. Jahr da er die Mauer
BA, IV, 350: "15 MU BAD NANGAki BA-RU.
von Nanga gebaut "; ibid., p. 336: "XV Jahr. Das Datum dieses
Jahres in der verkiirzten Fassung: MU BAD NANGAki triigt Bu. 88-512, 285."
VII
CT, II, 26. Bu. 91-5-9, 332 (A priestessbuys a plot with house)
TRANSLATION.
TRANSLITERATION.
(Obv.) 1 II1- SAR VIII GiN I-DfU-A 2 ita
bit E-ri-ib-Sin mar KA-4sia-UH-KI 3 Ai ita bit A-ta-ma-ra-as mir
179
Ha-ia-ab-ni-ilu 4
ita sfiki bit-su SAG-BI sfiku ita dBU-NI-NI
itti
SAL-DIS
Amat-dSamaI
5
dSamag mirat Ga-mi-lum 6 dLa-mazi SAL-DIS dSamag mdrat KA-SM-UH-KI-ma 7 i-na sa-me-ri-AA
GIS8 SAM-TIL-LA-BI-S14 KZT-BABBARIN-NA-AN-LAL
IN-SI-IN-SAM
GAN-NA IB-TA-BAL 10 INIM-BI AL-TIL S'-GA-NI NI-DU 1
U-KVRLU-LT-RA
MU dSama
dA-a dMarduk
12 GU-NU-UM-MA-MA-A
13
(Rev.) 16 mahar A-wi-il4 tx Sin-mu-ba-li-it 15 IN-Pi-D1-ES

ili mar Ku-bu-tum 17 mahar Sin-e-ri-ba-am mar dNannar-LU-TI
18
mabar Sin-pu-ut-ra-am mdr Ma-ni-um 19 mahar Sin-e-ri-ba-am
mdr I-ku-bi(KA)-sa 20 mahar
Na-ra-am-i-li-fu
Ibil.-dAdad mar
21 mahar
mir
dSamas-nu-ir-ma-tim
dSamag-sad-i--lf 22 mahar
mir
Nu-iir-i-li-4u
mar Warad-d GIR 23 mahar EN-LIL-a-bu-um
KA-sa-UH-KI 24 mahar Sa-ma-ia mar It-ti-ili-is-di 25 mahar
Ib-ga-tum mar Sin-e-ri-ba-am 26 mahar Lu-us-ta-mar-Sin mir
1-lf-i-din-nam 27 mahar dSamas-na-sir mar E-ri-ba-am 28 mahar
dSamas-na-sir mar Na-ra-am-i-lf-u 29 mahar dSe-rum-i-li mahar
d
30 miri Sin-illat E3 mahar
mir Nuamasgad-i-ili
?-A-HE-G.L
Sin-i-din-nam
mahar
32
ITI
(Edge)
dup-sar 33
ir-Sin
SE-KIN-KU
v vIIi kam 34 MU dSama dAdad.
TRANSLATION.
1-15 II SAR VIII GiN of plot with house,
adjoining the house of Erib-Sin, son of KA'a-UH-KI, and adjoining
the house of Atamaras, son of Haiabni-ilu, and adjoining the lane
of his house, the front being the lane adjoining the property of
BUNINI, from Amat-Samas, the priestess of Sama', the daughter of
Gamilu, has Lamazi, the priestess of Sama', the daughter of KAsaUH-KI, with her ring-money bought. For its full price has she
Her
weighed out to her silver. She has passed over the bukinu.
claim is ended. That in the future one will not bring suit against the
other, they have invoked the name of Sama', Aja, Marduk, and Sinmuballit.
16-32 Before Awil-ili, etc.
33-34 On the eighth day of Adar in the year in which [Sinmuballit ... .] for SamaS and Adad [. .. .].
L. 4. BUNINI= horse driver of Samas.
L. 5. SAL-DIS =
some kind of a priestess. The meaning of DIS is unknown. We
have already had another kind of priestess in SAL-ISIB, No. II,
1. 8.
L. 6. The ma at end of line is not found in other passages
180
L. 23. EN-LIL-a-bu-um, RPN=

where this name occurs.
L.
34.
KLIH,
III, 228 (under nineteenth year
BMl-a-bu-um.
of Sin-muballit's reign):
UTU [(DINGIR) MER . . .].
"MU(DINGIR)
The year in which the gods Sama' and Ramman"; ibid., note 40:
"The formula for this year has been partially restored from the
dates upon Bu. 88-5-12, 157 and Bu. 91-5-9, 332 which read MU
Lindl, BA, IV, 367 (in referring to
(DINGIR) UTU (DINGIR) MER."
Bu. 91-5-9, 332, line 34): "Einzelne Zeugennamen sind die niimlichen wie auf Kontrakten des 13. und 14. Jahres." Lindl groups
this tablet among contracts (p. 367) "welche sich in der Datenliste
nicht unterbringen lassen."
VIII
CT, II, 36. Bu. 91-5-9, 377 (A man buys a plot without house)
(Obv.)
ita
bit
i
I-din-dSama
3
TRANSLITERATION.
tum
BI MINkam
7
-tul-dMa-mi
ita bit A-baSAG-BI DISkam Sa-ri-kum

5 SAGitti Sin-he-me mar Na-ra-am-E-a
1
I SAR
-KI-GAL
dIb-ni-dMAR-TUmir J-tul-dMa-mi
KU-BABBAR
IN-NA-AN-LAL
BI AL-TIL SA-GA-NI AL-DI
12
8 IN-SI-SAMSAM-TIL-LA-BI4-1i
GIS-GAN-NA IB-TA-BAL 1 INIMU-KUR-SU LU-LO-RA (Edge) 13 GU10
14
dum dSamaddMarduk
15 dSin-mu-baNU-UM-MA-MA-A(Rev.)
16
li-it
dSipparki it-mu-6i
7 mahar Na-bi-1-li-4u mar Waradi-li-u
18 mabar d NANNA-SAG-KAL
mar Ibilk-Itar 19 mahar Bu-
ri-ia mar E-ri-ba-am 20 mahar I-din-dSama mdr Sin-i-din-nam

mahar Ip-ku-zi mAr Sa-li-a 22 mahar Sa-ba-la-tum mdr
Ibi1k-IJtar 23 mahar Li-bi-it-I4tar mir Im-gur-rum 24 mahar
Sin-ri-me-ni mar E-ri-ib-Sin 25 mahar Be-el-su-nu mdr UH-KIrabi (Edge) 26 mahar E-ri-ba-am dup-sar (Left-hand edge) 27
mdr
mabar Sa-ri-kum mar Sin-ub-lam 2 [mahar] LU-d[
21
dNannar-MA-AN-Si
TRANSLATION.1-16 I SARof plot without house adjoining the

house of Abatum, and adjoining the house of Idin-Samas, one front
being the property of Sarikum, the other front being the property
of Utul-mami, from Sin-semi, the son of Naram-Ea, has Ibni-MAR-TU,
the son of Utul-mami, bought. For its full price has he weighed out
His claim is
to him silver. He has passed over the bukinu.
181
ended. His heart is satisfied. That in the future one will not bring
suit against the other, they have invoked the name of Samar, Marduk,
Sin-muballit, and Sippar.
17-28 Before Nabi-ilisu, etc.
L. 1. -KI-GAL appears to have about the same meaning as
without house"; cf. No. V, note 1. 1. HG, III, 69,
KIZ-LAI="plot
No. 264 ="Hausgrundstiick KI.GAL" ; DAR, p. 47 = "Haus im
L. 4. SAG-BIDIgkam;cf. No. III,
Tiefland"; see MAP, p. 121.
note 1. 4.
L. 18. dNANNA-SAG-KAL, RPN =Nannar-asharid?
IX
CT, IV, 44b. Bu. 88-5-12, 677 (A priestessbuys a plot without house)
TRANSLITERATION. (Obv.) 1
SAR V GiN E-KI-GXAL2 EGIR
3
4 itti dSama-i-te-e
5
bt dBuit -l
Ui ita bit dSama-i-te-e
mar
Su-na-bu-um
IN-SI-SAM
12
dLa-ma-zi SAL-DIS
SAM-TIL-LA[-BI-
dSamav mrat
KUJ-BABBAR
.GIS-GAN-NA IB-TA-BAL 10 INIM-BI AL-TIL

U-KUR-SU-LU-LU-RA
dSama
(Edge) 13
dBu[-i-lf]
IN-NA-AN-LAL
S-GA-NI
dMarduk
NI-D-l
14
ui
MU
16 mir
SinSin-mu-ba-li-it (Rev.) 15 mahar
'
.KA-sci-dSama
mahar t-li-i-din-nam mir En-nam-Sin 18 mahar KAAN-DUL
17
A-dSama' mdr A-bu-um-wa-kar 19 mahar KA-sai dSamav mir
Hur-za-nim 20 mahar Sippar-sadi(KUR)-i mar ....
21 mahar
EN-LIL-a-bu-um
22
dup-sar
1-14 - SAR V GIN of plot without house, the

rear being the house of Bu-ili, and adjoining the house of Sama%it*, from Samas-iti, son of Sunabum, has Lamazi, priestess of Samas,
daughter of Bu[-ili], purchased. [For its] full price has she weighed
out to him silver. He has passed over the bukinu.
His claim is
ended. His heart is satisfied. That in the future one [will not
bring suit] against the other, the name of Samas, Marduk, and Sinmuballit [they have invoked].
15-22 Before KAsa-SamaS, etc.
L. 2. We should expect EGIR-BI= "its rear "; cf. SAG-BI,No. III,
L. 12. By mistake the scribe has omitted after 1. 12,
note 1. 4.
L. 16. SinGi-NIU-UM-MA-MA-A, and after 1. 14, IN-P A-DE-ME-ES.
AN-DUL. AN-DU=saliilu,
"shadow," "protection."
.uliilu=
TRANSLATION.
182
THE AMERICANJOURNAL OF SEMITIC LANGUAGES
X
CT, IV, 45b. Bu. 88-5-12, 689 (Two men buy a plot with house)
1 I SAR E-Df-A 2 ita bit Nu3
ita bit I-bi-ANIN-Us-BUR
Ku-un-nim
a4
mar
ir-d-Samav
6
SAG-BI
bit Da-ak-sa-tum
DI'kam'ma
5 mar KA-a-dSamas
mdrat
ama S mu-zu-su a-na silk
9 itti Na-rav
Igtar
KA-i-d
am-i-li-4u 10 i dNIN-U-BUR-ba-ni 11 dU-bar-dSama i Im-gur14 KU-BABSin 12 IN-SI-IN-SAM (Edge) 13 SAM-TIL-LA[-BI-SU]
TRANSLITERATION. (Obv.)
BAR IN-NA-AN-LAL
(Rev.)
15 GIS-GAN[-NA IB-TA-BAL]
16
-GA-
NI [AL-DJ]
GiU17 INIM-BI AL[-TIL] 18 U-KtR-4I LUJ-LiJ-RA

20
dMarduk,
Sin-mu-ba-li-it
21u
um dama
NU-UM-A-MA-A
24
22
dSipparki
it-mu-u 23 mahar I-bi-dNIN-UV-BUR mdr I-ku26 maar
bi-a 25 mahar Samata-tum mdr EN-LIL-LA-ME-GIM
Sin-i-din-nam 27 mdr
(Edge) 28 mahar Li-biit-EN-LIL 29 mir SES-Di1-GA`
30 mahar
Warad-Sin mir ERII-.sur-a-ma-av-di
dNANNA (Left-hand edge) 3' mahar dNannar-MA-AN-sldup-sar
TRANSLATION.1-22 I SAR of plot with house adjoining the
house of Nfir-Samai, son of Kunnim, and adjoining the house of
Ibni-NIN-4UBUR,son of KAsa-Samas, its one front being the house
of Daksatum, daughter of KAsa-Samas, its exit being toward the
has Ubarstreet of IEtar, from Naram-ilivu and
NIN-VUBUR-bani,
SamaB and Imgur-Sin purchased. [For its] full price has he weighed
His heart [is
out to him silver. He has passed over the bukinu.
future
will not
His
That
in
the
one
claim
satisfied].
[is ended].
bring suit against the other they have invoked the name of Samas,
Marduk, Sin-muballit, and Sippar.
23-31 Before Ibi-NIN-4UBUR, etc.
Ll. 12 ff.
L. 4. I-bi-dNIN-SU-BUR, RPN= I-bi-NIN-SAH.
There are two buyers and sellers but the verbs and suffixes in the
Sumerian are in the singular. The legal terms were so stereotyped
L. 21. The determinative before Sippar
as to be unchangeable.
is al+ki.
It apparently has the same force as al.
183
XI
TIME OF HAMMURABI
CT, II, 7. Bu. 88-5-12, 175 (A priestessbuys a field property)

Ts GAN ekel i-na ugarim Nu2 11AN-ZA-KAR
ma-la ma-zi-a-at 3 ita Su-mu-bu-um mqr
Ma-ri-be*?-li?-4u 5 SAG-BI DISkam barita
ekel
Am-ri-i-lf4u '4 i
har-ri-tum 6 SAG-BI MINkam ekel In-ba-tum 7 mirat Mu-dadu-um 8 ka-ar-ba-nam a-na bar-har-ri-tum 9 iz-zu-uk 10 itti
Ib-ku-sa mrr ZR-UR-ba-zi-ir 11 dBe-el-ta-ni SALdSama' 12 mrat
Il(u)-bi-Sin
(Edge) 13 i-na HAR-KZ-BABBAR IN-SI-SAM 14 XV
16 GIA-GAN-NA IB-TA(Rev.) 15 IN-NA-AN[-LAL]
GIN-KZU-BABBAR
BAL
19
INIM-BI AL-TIL
GU-NU-MA-MA-A-A
20
18 U-KUR-Sl LJ-LZ-RA
SS-GA-NI AL-DU
21
dA-a dMarduk
Ha-amMUSdam
mu-ra-bi IN-PA-DE-ME-ES 22 mahar Sin-ra-bi mar rT-sur-bi(KA)-um mar Gimil-dMAR-TU24 mahar SindSamar 23 mahar ....
i-din-nam mir Se-li-bu-um 25 mahbarAwdt-dNannar-? 26 mnar
Zi-li-lum 27 mabar Mdr-Itar-mnr Su-mu-bu-um 28 mahar UHKI . . . . (Edge) 29 mabar Ki-i4-tum mar d..
30 mahar
dSamai-_in-_ma-tim 31 mar Sa-ga-pu-pu (Left-hand edge) 32 mahar
KA-a-ASdama 33 MUIDIa-am-mu-ra-bi
TRANSLATION.1-21 24GANof field in the march of Nu- ...
and AN-ZA-KAR,
as much as there is found, adjoining the field of
son
of
Sumuhum,
Amri-ilisu, and adjoining the field of Mari-baligu, its
one front being the ditch, its second front being the field of Inbatum,
daughter of Mudadum, he has placed a dam at the ditch, from
Ibkusa, son of uR-uR-bazir, has Beltdni, priestess of SamaB, daughter
of I(u)-bi-Sin, bought with her ring-money of silver. She has
weighed out to him XV GiN of silver. She has passed over the
His claim is ended. His heart is satisfied. That in the
bukdnu.
future one will not bring suit against the other, they have invoked the
name of Sama', Aja, Marduk, and Uammurabi.
22-32 Before Sin-rabi, etc.
33 In the year when the canal of jUammurabi [was dug].
L. 2. AN-ZA-KAR
is unknown. The context implies that it was
some kind of land that could not be cultivated in its whole extent.
It may have been marsh land. It apparently was not so valuable as
184
THE AMERICANJOURNAL OF SEMITICLANGUAGES
the ugaru. Jensen, KB, II, 212, note 7, has shown that AN-ZA-KAR=
Such a meaning does not seem to fit here. In
dimtu="tower."
which probably means
CT, II, 44, 1. 10, occurs an-zag-gar-ki
"tower"; cf. Bab. Exped. Univ. Penn., Series A, XIV, 58, and
XV, 56, where dza-karki
is apparently a place-name.
L. 5. Har-
har-ri-tum probably means a "ditch," "run," or "canal." The

L. 8. ka-ar-ba-nam.
root seems to be harfi, DHWB, 289.
In DHWB, 352, kirbanu=
"Schutzwehr"
= "dam," "dike."
Some
such meaning fits here. In CT, II, 5, 1. 7, occurs ki-ir-ba-nam,

see DAR, p. 46,
which may be another form of ka-ar-ba-nam;
note.
L1. 8 and 9 are an addition describing the property.
L. 9.
iz-zu-uk appears to be from nasdku="setzen," "einsetzen," "leL. 11. SALdSamas="woman of

gen," "thun," DHWB, p. 472.
Sama'""="priestess of Samas." We have already had SAL-ISIB,
No. II, 1. 8, and SAL-DIS, No. VII, 1. 5. The exact nature of each
L. 25. The signs after Nannar
order of priestess is not known.
are not clear. In CT, II, 15, 1. 21, the name Nannar-tum is found.
L. 33. KLIH, III, 232, note 49 (Chronicle of Uammurabi): "Reference is made to the digging of canals by Uammurabi in the formulae
both for this [the ninth] year and for the thirty-third year of his
reign. Many contract tablets are dated MU-ID Ua-am-mu-ra-bi.
The year of the ljammurabi-canal." The tablets so dated may be
referred to either
of these years.
Lindl, BA,
IV, 352:
"9 MU
LUGAL. 9 Jahr, da er den K6nig-STamndr fJa-am-mu-ra-bi

murabi-Kanal"; ibid., 352: "33 MU ndr lJa-am-mu-ra-bi
(mu-hu-us ni-Ai?), 33 Jahr, da er den Kanal 'Uammurabi ist
der Segen des Volkes.' " Lindl, ibid., 372, supposes that Ujammurabi
like Samsuiluna dug two canals bearing his name: one of ninth
Lindl
year and another of thirty-third year with MU-H-us-v.NI-I.
assigns Bu. 91-5-9, 362 to the canal of the thirty-third year, and
Bu-88-5-12, 175 to the ninth year.
XII
CT, IV, 25a. Bu. 88-5-12, 318 (A womanbuys a plot without house)
1 - SAR VIIJ- GiN
-KIZ-LAIJ
2
mdr E-tel-bi(KA)-Sin
ita bit
i'i ita bit
A[-hu]-um-wa-1.ar
A-bil-i-lf-iu mqr I-din-ASamas 4 SAG DISkam-ma a-1a-dSamag mnr
185
d
itti U-la-dSama
I-din-dSama~
mar I-din-dSama 6 dI-na-libbiir-li-id marat A-bil-i-lif-u 7 i-na IAR KP-BABBAR-Sa
IN-SI-IN-SAM
1 GIN XXII SE KU-BABBAR
SAM-TIL-LA-BI-S
IN-NA-
INIM-BI AL[-TIL] 12 SA-GA-NI AL-DO (Edge)

UAN[-LAL]
KUR-SX LP-LT-RA
14 GU-NU-UM-Mi-MX-A
(Rev.) 15 MU dSama
dA-a dMarduk
16
Ui.Ha-am-mu-ra-bi
LUGAL
17
IN-PA-DIE-ME-ES
is mahar Si-dA-a mir E-tel-bi-Sin 19 mahar A-si ?-nu mar Ha-lilum 20 mahar E-ri-zu-ma-tum mar Warad-Sin 21 mahar La-alum mar Ma-ti-ilu 22 mahar Ub-bu-ki-ia mar Nu-ir-d E-ba-ra
23
mahar U-zi-bi-tum mar 24 mahar Ib-ga-tum mar Sin-a-bu-Au
25
mahar Su-mi-ir-si mar A-ha-am-kal-lim 26 mahar dNannarMA-AN-SI mar A-bil-ili (Edge) 27 arah isinni dAdad iimu Xkam
A i dNana-a.
2" sattu Anu dItar
1-17
SAR VIII- GiN of plot without house
TRANSLATION.
adjoining the house of Ahum-wakar, son of Etelbi(KA)-Sin, and
adjoining the house of Abil-ili'u, son of Idin-Samas, one front adjointhe property of Ula-Sama', son of Idin-SamaS, from Ula-SamaS,
son of Idin-SamaS, has Ina-libbi-ir id, daughter of Abil-iligu, with
her ring-money of silver bought. For its full price 2 GN' 142 SE of
silver has she weighed out to him. His claim is ended. His heart
is satisfied. That in the future one will not bring suit against the
other, the name of Samas, Aja, Marduk, and Ijammurabi, the king,
they have invoked.
18-26 Before Sa-Aja.
27-28 The tenth day of the month of the feast of Adad, the
year of Anu, ITtar and Nana.
It is also possible to insert
L. 2. A[-bu]-um-wa-kar.
L. 19. A-si?-nu,
RPN =A-lu-nu.
A[-bu]-um-wa-kar.
L. 28. The date appears to be the thirty-fourth year of Ijammurabi.
KLIH, III, 237, note 69: "34 MU ANA (DINGIR) NIN[NI (DINGIR)
This line is restored from the date upon Brit. Mus., No.
NA-NA-A].
33222 (B. 65); Bu. 88-5-12, 318 gives the slightly variant form
MU ANA (DINGIR) NINNI U (DINGIR) NA-NA-A.
A fullerformof the
same date is found upon the 'ca~e' of Brit. Mus., No. 33230 (B. 73)
ANA(DINGIR)NINNI(DINGIR)
whichreads MUy
Ja-am-mu-ra-bi LUGAL-E
NA-NA-A MU-UN-DIM-MA.
The year of Ijammurabi, the king, in
which for Anu, IEtar, and Nana was built (. . . ).
The name of the
186
temple which was built, or repaired, during this year in honor of

these deities is supplied by the following formula from Brit. Mus.,
No. 33219 (B. 62), MU IJa-am-mu-ra-bi LUGAL-EANA (DINGIR)NINNI
(DINGIR) NA-NA-A-A-E-NE-BI-TA
E-TUR-KALAM-MA
MU-UN-GI-A-AN.
The year of Ijammurabi, the king, in which for Anu, ITtar, and Nand
the temple E-tur-kalama was restored." Lindl, BA, IV, 332:
"34 MUAn Igtdr (il Na-na-a) 34 Jahr, da er Anu, I'tar, Nana
]; cf. ibid., p. 372
[
XIII
CT, II, 14. Bu. 88-5-12, 291 (A womanbuys a plot without house)
TRANSLITERATION.
(Obv.) 1 IV SAR E-KIZ-LAH 2 ita bit
dSama'-tab-ba-su 3 mar Sin-a-bu-um 4 u ita bit Di-zi-ia mdr
Ma-ni-um 5 wa-ar-ka-su Be-el-su-nu mar A-hi-hi 6 t ita bit
Tar-ga-ni-in amat ?kallim 7 itti Be-te-tum mdrat Bur-turn
10 SAM-TIL8
dBe-li-zu-numr[at] dSamag-r 'f 9 IN-SI-IN-SAM
IN-NA-AN-LAL
LA-BI-SU
11 KU-BABBAR
(Edge) 12 GIS-GAN-NA IBTA-BAL
13INIM-BI
AL-TIL
14
U-KUR-Si
LU-LU-RA
15 GU-NU-UM-
MU dSamas dA-a dMarduk 17

Ta-am-mu-ra-bi
20
IN-P-DE-ME-E
A19 mahar Warad-za mir A-ia-ar-ilim
MA-MA-E-A
18
21 A-wi-il-ili 22
am'lr'e
Tab-ba-Wa-dina-dSama
mdrs
_te-ir
24
mar
mahar
im 23
dSamav-lu-mur
1-l-i-din-nam 25 mahar
U-bar-um mar Ilu-vu-ba-ni 26 mahar Ibik-dA-a (Edge) 27 mar
Ni-id-nu-um "2 mahar Be-li-tum mar[at] Sin-ellat-zu 29 mahar
Kib-lum mar Ilu-ni-ilu (Left-hand edge) 30 mahar Eris-ti-A-a
mahar UR-RA-ga-mil 31 mahar Sin-i-din-nam mahar La-ma-zi
mar[at] Nu-um-x-ilu
32 MU PIN RA TAB MI
TRANSLATION. 1-18 IV SAR of plot without house adjoining

the house of Sama'-tabba'u, son of Sin-abum, and adjoining the
house of Dizia, son of Manium, its rear being the property of BWlIunu,
son of Ahisa, and adjoining the house of Targanin, maid-servant of
the palace, from Betetum, daughter of Bfirtum, has BWlizunu,
daughter of Samai-re'ii, bought. For its full price has she weighed
Her claim
out to.her silver. She has passed over the bukanu.
will
suit
in
future
one
not bring
is ended. That the
against the other,
they have invoked the name of Samas, Aja, Marduk, and Uammurabi.
BABYLONIAN
LEGAL
AND
BUSINESS
187
DOCUMENTS
19-31 Before Waraza, etc.

32 The year PIN RATABMI.
L. 8.
L. 5. Last sign probably a remnant of an erasure.
L. 15. GU-NU-UM-MA-MA-E-A. Final A=
mdr should be mdrat.
L. 22. Ta-ba-Wa-di-im=
relative. The preceding E=future.
"friend of Wadim." Wadim=a divinity. RPN=-Ta-ba-pi-diL. 30. Eris-ti-dA-a;
im.
L. 28. mdir should be mirat.
L. 32. The date is unknown; see
see PSPN, p. 14, note 2.
Lindl, BA, IV, 375: "MU PIN? RA TAB? MI."
XIV
CT, II, 42. Bu. 91-5-9, 2174A (A priestessbuys date palm orchards)
(Obv.) 1 XII kirfi gisimmari 2 ita kiri
TRANSLITERATION.
EGIR-dSama
3 m rat Sa-a-la 4 SAG-BI MINkam
Ri-_iV-SamaS
Gi-ru-um 5 itti Ri-is-dSama mdr[at] Sa-a-la 6 dA-ha-ta-a-ni
7
m8rat Ma-ru-um 8 i-na emiri-su IN-SI-INSAL-ISIBdnam
SAM
GA-NI
SAM[-TILI-LA-BI-S 10 K-BABBAR-am IN-NA-AN-LAL 11

AL-ta-ab
12
GIS-GXN-GAN
[IB]-TA-BAL
13
INIM-BI
S_
AL-TIL
(Rev.)
(Edge) 14 T-KUR-SU LUT-LUT-SI 15 GU-NU-UM-Mk-MA-A
mahar
Am-ri-i-li-su
17 dUa-am-mu-ra-bi
dMarduk
18s
Mudam
mar Na-ra-am-E-a 19 mabar Ia-ti-ilu mdr A-bil-Sin 20 mahar
I-bi-dSamas mahar E-tel-lum-dSama~ 21 mdr Bu-zi-ia 22 I-zi-zari-e 23 E-ri-ib-Sin mir Sa-a-'a-bi 24 mahar Ma-nu-um mdr Sin-idin-nam 21 mahar I-tur-a-as-du-um mdr Ilu-'u-ba-ni 26 mahar
. 28 mahar dSama1-li-ia-bu-Sin 7 mahar E-ri-ib-Sin mdr .
bi-ni-bi(KA)-ia (Edge) 29 mahar Di-ma-hu-um 30 mahar Ri-isdSama' (Left-hand edge) 31 mahar I-lu-ni-ia.....
TRANSLATION.1-17 XII orchards of date palms adjoining
the orchard of Ri-Sama', priestess of Sama', daughter of Sdla, its
second front being the property of Girum, from Ris-Sama', daughter
of Sdla, has Ahdtdni, priestess of Sama', daughter of Marum, with
her ring-money bought. For its full price has she weighed out to her
silver. Her heart is satisfied. She has passed over the bukdnu.
Her claim is ended. That in the future one will not bring suit
against the other, [they have invoked] the name of Sama', Marduk,
Hammurabi.
18-31 Before Amri-ilisu, etc.
16
188
THE
AMERICAN
JOURNAL
OF SEMITIC
LANGUAGES
L. 1. "XII orchards of date palm "-so the text. It seems very

possible that SAR has been omitted after XII. This mistake was
easily made, for one of the component signs of kiru is SAR. Hence
L. 2. EGIRseems
we should read XII SAR of date palm orchard.
to resolve itself into TUM-SAL-ISIB and designates some order
L. 5. Ri-i-d Samas is here called a son
of priestesses.
of
Sa-a-la, but in 1. 2, a daughter (mdrat) of Sa-a-la.
(m~ r)
1. 5 should then probably be corrected so as to read
in
The text
L. 8. The suffix in
daughter (marat) instead of son (mir).
is masculine, where we should have the feminine
semiri-vu
Instead of reading vemiri-Au, we should probably
semiri-ia.
L. 10. The scribe intended to write
read the Sumerian IJAR-su.
KU-BABBAR, but after writing this, he changed his mind and added
This mixture of Sumerian
-am, giving the Babylonian kaspam.
and Babylonian Semitic occurs occasionally in the same word;
L. 11. AL-ta-ab. The scribe began to write
cf. next note, 1. 11.
AL-DUf, but changed his mind after writing AL, and gave the Semitic
ta-ab, hence we have the curious combination of a Sumerian prefix
L. 12. The
AL=permansive+the Semitic permansive ta-ab.
TA-BAL.
before
be
second GAN should be NA. IB must
supplied
L. 14. The last sign sd is a mistake for RA. The Sii in first half of
L. 17. IN-PA-DE-ME-ES must be supplied
line caused the error.
L. 22. I-zi-za-ri-e;
after 1. 16.
cf. CT, II, 24, 11.4 and 6.
XV
CT, II, 28. Bu. 91-5-9, 338 (Settlementof a partnershipbusiness)
TRANSLITERATION.
(Obv.)
dE-ri-ib-Sin
i Nu-dir-
dSamag 3 tap-pu-tam i-pu-gu-ma 4 a-na bit dSamag i-ru-bu-ma
5 te-im-'u-nu i-pu-su-ma 6 kaspam(-am) ba-ab-tam SAGGEME

i1
mi-it-ha-ri-is i-zu-zu-ma
8
SAG-ERI 7 s ha-ra-nim i li-bi a-li-im
a-wa-tu[-vu]-nu ig-mu-ru-ma 10 a-na kaspim (kaspam-am) SAG9
ERI 11 iA SAG-GEME A"ba-ab-tim 12 si ha-ra-nim Aili-bi a-li-im
13 iv-tu bi-e a-di
(Edge) 14 a-hu-um a-na a-hi-im '5 -ul
hur.si
i-ra-ga-am "6 MU
dSamag dA-a dMarduk (Rev.) 17 i' Ha-ammahar A-wi-il-ilim mar Ku-bu-tum
mi-ra-am IN-PA-DE-ME-ES
19
Bur-AAdad
?-du-um 20 mahar Sin-e-ri-ba-am
Ia-ba
mahar
mar
Sin-lu-ud-lu-ul
mahar
mar A-wi-il-ilim 22 mahar
mr T-ku-ka-i 2'
189
I-din-dSama' mar Zi-li-lum
mahar Ib-ni-PR-RAmar E-tel-bi KA)mahar

dSamagnair25
Lu-us-ta-mar-Sin mir I-lf-i-din-nam 26 mahar Sin-ma-gir mar IluSe-me 27 mahar UR-RA-ga-milmahar Sa-ma-ia 28 mare IJ-ki-itti-i-li-ia 29 mahar Mu-pa-hi-ru-um mar I-di-ia 30 mahar Ib-gatum mar Sin-e-ri-ba-am
mahar mirr-Sipparkimar KA-sa-dSamaa
3r
32
mahar Sin-ha-zi-ir mar A-da-ia (Edge) 3 mahar Ri-iS-dAdad
mir Be-el-Au-nu 34 mahar dSamaa-i-din-nam mir Sin-be-el-ablim
TRANSLATION.
1-17 Erib-Sin and Nfir-Samai had conducted
a business on a partnership basis, and then entered into the temple
of Sama' and made their reckoning, and the money, debts, female
and male slaves, what of the way as well as within the city, they
equally divided, and they settled up their business. That in regard
to money, male and female slaves, and debts, what of the way as well
as within the city, from chaff to gold, one will not bring suit against
the other, they have invoked the name of Samas, Aja, Marduk, and
Ijammurabi.
18-34 Before Awil-ilim, etc.
This inscription has been edited by Schorr, op. cit., No. 35.
L. 6. ba-ab-tam
probably means "debts," or "losses."
SAR No. 35 = " die offenen Schulden." In Uammurabi Code, it
means "blemish," "defect," or "injury." L. 9. Au before nu
L. 10. kaspam (-am) is a scribal
has been omitted by mistake.
L. 13.
error and should be omitted. It is a case of dittography.
L. 16. The determinative
The first sign of last word is omitted.
L. 17. IJa-am-mibefore Marduk is mu. It should be ilu.
for
ra-am=error
Ua-am-mu-ra-bi.
23
UR-RA 24 mahar Nu-ur-drNIN-GIR

mr
XVI
TIME OF SAMSUILUNA
CT, IV, llb. Bu. 91-5-9, 439 (A priestessbuys a plot with house)
TRANSLITERATION.
(Obv.)
I SAR
E-DIr-A
DA
dAdad-i-
DA Sa-bu-lum 4 SAG-BISk Mu-zu-um 5 EGIR-BI

din-nam 3
~ DUMUE Mdr-Sipparki 6 KI I(NIM)dA-a SAL[-ISIBBd]Sama
d
SAL Be[-el- u-nu] S U Be-el-u-nu [TA] 9 Ta-ra-am-SAG-ILSALISIB dMarduk 10 DUMU-SALHa-ar-ri-rum n IN-SI-IN-SAM 12 SAMTIL-LA-BI-SU
13
? GIN-KU-BABBAR IN-NA-AN-LAL
(Edge)
14 INIM-BI
190
U-KUR-SU LJ-LU-RA (Rev.) 17 GT15 SA-GA-NI AL-DU

j Sa-am-su-iNU-UM-MA-Mk-A 18 MU d dama A-a dMarduk 19
ar-ki-tim
mahar
lu-na LU-GAL 20 IN-Pt-DE-ME-E
dSamas21
AL-TIL
22
mahar Sin-i-din-nam mar Bur-dAdad 23 mahar
mar
JI-.i-s mar A-hi-um-mi-u
Sa-bu-lum
24 mahar Ib-ni-AAdad mar WaraddMAR-TU
25 mahar I-din-Sin mar Nu-dr-ASama ?26 mahar Nu27 maharIbik-1dAN-NU-NI-TUM
dup-sar (Edge) 28 ITI
(r-drKAB-TA
DUZU-E U
VII kam
TRANSLATION.
29
MU GIS-GU-ZA BARA-GE
1-20 1
house of Adad-idinnam
SAR of plot with house adjoining the

and adjoining the house of Sabulum, its
front being the street of Muzum, its rear, the house of Mar-Sippar,
from I(NIM)-Aja, priestess of Samas, daughter of BMl-sunu, and BWlSunu, has Taram-SAG-IL, priestess of Marduk, daughter of Harrirum,
bought. For its full price has she weighed out to them ? GiN of
silver. Their claim is ended. Their heart is satisfied. That in
the future one will not bring suit against the other, the name of Samav,
Aja, Marduk, and Samsuiluna, they have invoked.
21-27 Before Samas-sar-kitim, etc.
28-29 On the seventh day of the month Tammuz in the year
when the portable (?) throne.
This tablet appears to be wholly in Sumerian.
L. 4. sfik muzum="street of Muzum,"
L. 2. DA=ita.
assuming muzum to be a proper name. If muzum is an adjective
then siik muzum="exit street," but this does not seem probable.
[TA] appears to fit the mutilated sign in the text. TA= postand goes with KI, 1.6. KI+TA="from
place of"
position="from,"
= "from possession of" = "from."
L. 29. MU GIS-GU-ZA BARA-GE.
PLBD, p. 69, section 48 Tell Sifr: "5 MU GIS-GU-ZA BARAGEMUUN-NA-DIM-MA = the fifth year in which after having made a
The date corresponds to the fifth year of
portable(?) throne."
Samsuiluna's reign. The exact nature of the GIS-GU-ZA-BARA is not
L. 8.
known. BARA="throne," "sanctuary," PMSL, p. 55. Perhaps the

expression means throne of the sanctuary. KLIH, p. 242: "The
year in which the throne of the shrine was made."
191
XVII
CT, II, 5. Bu. 88-5-12, 155 (A priestessbuys a field)
TRANSLITERATION.
(Obv.) 1 BURGAN ekel i-na ugarim Is-si2
i-ta ekel Ta-li-ib-ni SALdSamas 3 Imrat
Mu-tu-ba-ni
5 marat
Ni-'i-in-ni
i-ta
ekel
SALdSamas
i
A4
aT-sur-bi-IJtar
6 SAG-BInar Za-bi-um 7 ki-ir-ba-nam a-na ndri Id-ki s SA-KUBI ekel Ta-li-ib-ni SALdSama' 9 mirat Mu-tu-ba-ni 10 a-na bfiri
Ta-mi-tim i'-ul ib-ba-al-ki-it 1 i-na nam-ka-ri-i ii ma-na-ti-VA
12 i-ma-ak-ka-ra
m'rat 14
Lu3 itti dA-a-be-li-it-ni-si SALd1Sama
ud-lu-ul-EN-LIL (Edge) 15 dil-ta-ni SALdSama816 marat A-bil-ili-su (Rev.) 17 i-na BARKU-BABBAR-4aIN-SI-IN-SAM 18s M-TILVKJ-BABBAR
AS MA-NA K-BABBAR 19
19 IN-NA-AN-LAL 20 INIM-BI AL-
tim
LA-BI-S
TIL SA-GA-A-NI AL-DiJ 21 U-KUR-Si LIJ-LJ-RA GU-NU-MA-MA-A
22
- dMarduk Sa-am-su-i-lu-na LUGAL 23 IN-Pk-DiMU dSama dA-a
ME-ES 24 mahar Awil-ili mar Ilu-a-bi 2 mahar dSamah-ba-zi-ir
mar Ilu-'u-ib-ni 26 mahar Ilu-'u-ib-ni mar Warad-~Nannar

mahar Warad-za-a mdr Ilu-ra-bi 28 mahar dSamas-ba-ni mar
Gi-mil-lum 29 mahar Be-la-nu-um mdr dAdad-i-din-nam 30 mahar
Ri-is-dSamas mir Ilu-'u-ib-ni 31 mahar Nfir-dA-a dup-sar 32 ITI
SU AZAK XXVI kam 33 MU Sa-am-su-i-lu-na LUGAL-E 34 UGNIM
27
KA-AS-SU.
1-23 A whole GAN of field in the march of

TRANSLATION.
Isitim, adjoining the field of Tali-ibni, priestess of Samav, daughter
of Mutu-bani, and adjoining the field of Nisi-ini, priestess of Samas,
daughter of Usur-bi-Ivtar, its front being the river Zabium, the dam
being at the river Idki, its rear(?) being the field of Tali-ibni, priestess of Samas, daughter of Muti-bani, to the well of Tamitim one
will not cross, from her run and her watering-trough one will water,
from Aja-bilit-ni'i, priestess of Samas, daughter of Ludlul-EN-LIL,
has Iltdni, priestess of Samas, daughter of Abil-ili'u, with her ringmoney bought. For its full price has she weighed out to her I man a
silver. Her claim is ended. Her heart is happy. That in the
future one will not bring suit against the other, they have invoked
the name of Samas, Aja, Marduk, Samsuiluna, the king.
24-31 Before Awil-ili, etc.
192
32-34 On the twenty-sixth of the month SU AZAK,in the year

in which Samsuiluna after having . . . . the hordes of the Kafii
whole
SAR; cf. TDR, p. 85, No.
GAN=-1800
a-na nari Id-ki="the dam being
L. 7. ki-ir-ba-nam
509.
It is possible that ki-ir-ba-nam
at the river Idki."
may be
of
Id-ki
as
direct
verb
is
the
id-ki.
unknown.
accusative,
object
It may mean "put," "construct." One constructed a dam at the
is not conclusive, as caseriver. The ending am in ki-ir-ba-nam
endings are not always observed in this period; cf. note on ka-arL. 8. SA-KU-BI is unknown. It apparba-nam, No. XI, 1. 8.
L. 10. ib-ba-al-ki-it=
rear"
or
"its
side."
means
"its
ently
L. 11. nam-ka-ri-4a
from
IV' from
b, DHWB, 175.
"'.
It may mean "run." ma-na-ti-sA
may be related to
unfitu, and so may designate some vessel used in drinking, peris not
L. 12. i-ma-ak-ka-ra
haps "a watering-trough."
probably third fem. plural, but third masc. singular. The ending a
Ll. 33-34. The date is the
is.added in co-ordinate clauses.
ninth year of Samsuiluna. KLIH, III, 242: "MU UMMAN KA-AS-SU.
The year in which the army of the Kassites "; ibid., note 81, p. 243:
"This early reference to the Kassites during the period of the First
Dynasty is of great interest"; PLBD, 72: "MU UGIMKA-AS-SU.
the hordes of
The year in which Samsuiluna after having . ...
=
UGNIM.
the Kavfi. ....
"; ibid., note 4: KI-"~LUB-GAR
L. 1.
BUR GAN =a
XVIII
CT, IV, 18a. Bu. 88-5-12, 274 (A man buys a plot with house)
(Obv.) 1 1 SAR E-DfJ-A i-na Sippar rabim
2 ita bit Be-li-lu-da-ri 3 i ita bit I-lf-i-din-nam mar KA-tinu-nu 4 SAG-BI DI kam-ma 1-din-dSama' mar
AZAG(KU)-dNIN-I-SI6 itti I-din-Sin
mar .
SAG-BI MINkam-ma sfi d
IN-NA
7
SAM-TILmar [KA-Aa]-nu-nu s IN-SI-IN-SAM
d-li-i-din-nam
10 V GIN
-GA(Edge) 11
KIU-BABBAR IN-NA-AN-LAL
LA-BI-SU
TRANSLITERATION.
A-NJ
14
AL-Dij
(Rev.)
12
AL-TIL
INIM-BI
13
U-KUR-SU
LI-LIJ-RA
amag dMarduk i Sa-am-su-i-na

mar KA-Aa-dNIN-TU
U-zi-bi-tum
17
16
LUGAL
mabar
it-mu-d
18 mahar dSu-i-bi mar
mahar
I-din-dSama mar
KA-sA-Nu-nu '1
G1-NU-UM-MA-MX-A
15
um
193
AZAG(KT)-na-tum 20 mahar I-bi-Sin mir Sin-i-din-nam 21 ITI

ABA-E-A 22 MU Sa-am-su-i-lu-naLUGAL 23 MU US-SA III EGIR
A-AG-GX
TRANSLATION. 1-16
? SAR of plot with house in great Sippar,

adjoining the house of Beli-ludari, and adjoining the house of Iliidinnam, son of KASa-Nunu, its one front being the property of
Idin-Sama', son of AZAG(KU)-d NIN-I-SI-IN, its other front being
the street . . . . , from Idin-Sin, son of . . . . , has IlI-idinnam,
son of [KAsa]-Nunu, bought. For its full price has he weighed out
to him V GINof silver. His heart is satisfied. His claim is ended.
That in the future one will not bring suit against the other, they have
invoked the name of Sama', Marduk, and Samsuiluna, the king.
17-20 Before Uzi-bitum, etc.
21-23 The month of Tebetfi in the third following year in which
Samsuiluna, the king, after having . . . . upon the oracle.
L. 15. By mistake lu is omitted in Samsuiluna.
Ll. 21-23.
The date corresponds probably to the thirty-first year of the king's
reign. KLIH, III, 246: "30 MU U-SA-US--SA ID-AG-G(A) (DINGIR)
ENLIL. The second year' after that in which the oracle of BWl(was
given)." The year in the inscription before us seems to have followed this year, and so was the thirty-first; cf. PLBD, p. 78.
XIX
CT, IV, 19b. Bu. 88-5-12, 282 (A priestessbuys a field property)
TRANSLITERATION.
(Obv.) 1 ? GAN ekel i-na ugarim ??-nuKa-lu-um-tum
ta 2 ita ekel Ka-lu-mu-um(tum) 3 Ai i-ta
el.el
SAL-ISIB d[SamaR] 4 mdrat Il(u)-bi(KA)-dSama'
5 SAG-BI
DI kam-ma E-GIS-SAR
SAG-BI MINkam-ma Bi-nu-um 7 itti Ma-
Be-la-nu-um mar Sin-ge-mi
an-na-'u mar Ibik-ANTUM s
lu-um-tum SAL-ISIB dSamas0

KiJ-BABBAR-S4
1
marat Sin-ge-mi
(Edge)
IN-SI-IN-SAM
dKa-
i-na HAR
12 SAM-TIL-LA-BI-S41
13
VI
IN-NA-AN-LALINIM-BIAL-TIL 15 SA3GIN-KU-BABBAR
(Rev.)
GA-NI AL-DU U-K1TR-Si' Lu-LU-RA 16 GU'-NU-UM-MA-MA-A 17 um
19 mahar
U Sa-am-su-il-lu-na
dSamaRdA-a dMarduk
2
14
1s
it-mu-d
Sin-be-el-ab-li mar Sin-ma-gir 20 mahar Sin-ella(t)-zu mar Sin-idin-nam 21 [mahar] Ib-ku-sa mar EN-LIL-ba-ni 22 [mahar]
dSamagra-bi mar Sin-i-din-nam 23 maar dBu-ni-ni-ma-ti mr Sin-?
194
24
EU
THE AMERICANJOURNAL OF SEMITIC LANGUAGES
wmaharNi-id-nu-4
mdr I-din-dSama' (Edge)
26
Xkam
???.....
1-18
TRANSLATION.
25 ITI KAN-KAN
27
? GAN of field in the territory of .

-nuta adjoining the field of Kalimuum, and adjoining the field
of Kalfimtum, priestess [of Samav], daughter of Ilubi(KA)-Samas,
its one front being the E-GIS-4AR, its other front being the property of Binum, from Mannasu, son of Ibik-ANTUM, and BWlnum,
son of Sin-semi, has Kalamtum, priestess of Samas, daughter of Sinsemi, bought with her ring-money. For its full price has she weighed
out to him VIJ GIN of silver. His claim is ended. His heart is
satisfied. That in the future one will not bring suit against the
other, the name of Samas, Aja, Marduk, and Samsuiluna, they
have invoked.
19-24 Before Sin-bPl-ablim, etc.
25 Tenth day of the month in which the KAN-KAN
appears.
L. 2. The last sign should be omitted. It is probably the remnant of an erasure.
L. 3. The name of the god has been omitted
L. 5. E-GI after SAL-ISIB. It should be SamaS as 1. 9 shows.
L. 7. Ibik-ANTUM, RPN=
SARprobably means garden canal.
L. 25. The date is unknown; cf. Lindi, BA, IV,
Ibik-iltum.
381.
XX
CT, II, 22. Bu. 91-5-9, 301 (Settlementof a partnershipbusiness)
MA-NA kaspim Sa IUR-RA
1
a-na
a-na
tab-ba
E-ri-ib-Sin
i-di-nu 4 'i MA-NA
[-ga-mil]
a
6
d
mdri
a-na
ta-a-an 5 hi-im-za-tu-su-nu
bitBamas E-ri-ib-Sin
IIR-RA-ga-mil
TJR-RA-ga-mil8 mrdte iTR-RA-ga-mil A
i' DAM-A-NI
11
10
d
ni-ka-zi-'u
Eri1ib2Sin
mahar
i-ru-bu-fi-ma
2
dSama
i-pu-us-ma 13 5 MA-NAVII GiN kaspim i-na bit dSamas fi-bi-ru-ma
ZR-RA-ga-mil (Edge) `5 mdrdte UR-RA-ga-mil
14 li-bu mire
16
DAM-ANI R-RA-ga-mil 17 dE-ri-ib-Sin 18 -ti-ib 9 6-ul
i-tu-ru-ii-ma 20 a-na E-ri-ib-Sin 21 ii-tu bi-e a-di hurasim
23
mahar Ga-mil-Sin mar Sin-be-el-i-if
22 6-ul i-ra-ga-mu??
24 mahar Bfir-dAdad mar
a-du-um 25 mahar Sin-na-si-ir mahar
26
27 mahar Ma-anmahar mr Eu-ur-za-nim
KA-sa-d amaS
ni-ia mir I-bi-ik-IEtar 28 mahar Be-el-su-nu mar Ma-an-nu-um-kiTRANSLITERATION. (Obv.)
2
ma-i-li-ia
195
mahar Ibik-dAdad 30 m3r Na-ra-am-i-1i-"u 31 mahar

U-ku-un-KA-a
32 mahar Warad-Sin mar SinNu-fir-i-li-u mar
ga-mil
1-22 ? MANA silver which UTR-RA-gamil had
TRANSLATION.
given to Erib-Sin for a partnership business, and MANAbeing the
share of each of them. Into the house of Sama' went Erib-Sin, the
sons of aR-RA-gimil, the daughters of aR-RA-gamil, and the wife
of UR-RA-gimil. Erib-Sin rendered his account before Samas, and
they in the house of Sama' adjudged - MANAVII GIN silver. The
heart of the sons, daughters, and wife of UR-RA-gamil, Erib-Sin
made glad. From chaff to gold they shall not again bring suit
against Erib-Sin.
23-32 Before Gdmil-Sin, etc.
This tablet has been edited by Schorr, op. cit., No. 70. It is
undated, but as the family of UTR-RA-gamiland Erib-Sin occur in a
lawsuit in CT, II, 46, which is dated in the reign of Sin-muballit, we
may date CT, II, 22, in the same reign.
= "partnership business," "profit-sharing busiL. 3. TAB-BA
L. 5. hi-imness."
L. 4. TA-A-AN has a distributive idea.
za-tu is unknown. It may have the meaning of "share," or "portion"; SAR, No. 70: "der Betrag ihrer Streitsumme"; Ungnad,
L. 12. Ni-ka-zi-Eu,
HG, III, 19: "ihr Geschliftskapital."
463:
The
context implies some
DHWB,
"Habe," "Verm6gen."
meaning like "account," "reckoning." Codex IJammurabi niksee MAP, p. 145, No. 79, note 1. 7.
L. 13.
kassum="account";
Hebrew
is
a
verb
there
In
Lexicon"4,
Gesenius-Buhl,
(i-bi-ru-ma.
'"I with the meaning "explain," "make clear." In the Codex
Ijammurabi the same verb occurs with the same meaning, "clearly
state." From this idea we may infer the meaning "adjudge."
The subject of the verb is the judges.
The VII GIN of silver appears to be the net gain over the MANA
(2-+) which PR-RA-gdmil had put into the business.
29

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University of Chicago Press

BABYLONIAN LEGAL AND BUSINESS DOCUMENTS

pp. 876 ff.

THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SEMITIC LANGUAGES

tablets have been discussed by Lindl,1 King,2 and in part by Poebel.3

* Tablet No. XX is undated, but probably belongs in the reign of Sin-muballit.

King, Letters and Inscriptions of Iammurabi

Legal and Business

ctf. Delitzsch, ibid., pp. 403-9.

CLV (Wien, 1907).

BABYLONIANLEGAL AND BUSINESS DOCUMENTS

CT, II, 34. Bu. 91-5-9, 367 (A womanrents a field property)

THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SEMITIC LANGUAGES

One horizontal wedge + GAN=~

GAN= 100 SAR. See TDR,

sing. pret., itmil=third pl. pret. If niS is read then it-md="he

Bu. 88-5-12, 43 (A priestessbuys a field property)

ekel i-na Sippar ki

'i i-ta Ul-lu-mi-ni-'i-ti 4 mirat

i-ta Ga-mil-Sin mir Sar-ra-nim

BABYLONIAN LEGAL AND BUSINESS DOCUMENTS

-GA-NI NI-DUf (Rev.)

mahar Li-bi-it-Istar Sangfi dSamag

Ubir-iluiu, and from Ullummisiti, daughter of DA-DA-wakar, has

THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SEMITIC LANGUAGES

feet tense. Infix SI-INmay = AU-UN= nasalization of `u = "toward."

BABYLONIANLEGAL AND BUSINESS DOCUMENTS

of seller in thing sold."

U-KUR-Sf Li-Lb-RA= ana m'at ma a mlu

"turn," "make claim," "bring suit." The force of reduplication in

wassergraben (DHWB, 577a) und Erdwall, Damm (ibid., 51a); vgl.

Schleusse erklart. Der Name Tdmtu-begallu

The year in which the gulf of the ocean [gave]

The date was the thirteenth year of Sabium.

THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SEMITIC LANGUAGES

8 GAN elkel i-na

CT, II, 4. Bu. 88-5-12, 60 (Inheritanceof a plot with house and of a

of plot with house and of plot

(pronounced with nasalization

have practically all the same meaning of uncultivated ground, or

BABYLONIAN LEGAL AND BUSINESS DOCUMENTS

hardly be doubted, since both are rendered with teriktu and

1-17 XIV GAN of plot with house, adjoining

BABYLONIAN LEGAL AND BUSINESS DOCUMENTS

(Rev.) 16 mahar A-wi-il4 tx Sin-mu-ba-li-it 15 IN-Pi-D1-ES

THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SEMITIC LANGUAGES

L. 23. EN-LIL-a-bu-um, RPN=

ita bit A-baSAG-BI DISkam Sa-ri-kum

BI AL-TIL SA-GA-NI AL-DI

ri-ia mar E-ri-ba-am 20 mahar I-din-dSama mdr Sin-i-din-nam

TRANSLATION.1-16 I SARof plot without house adjoining the

BABYLONIANLEGAL AND BUSINESS DOCUMENTS

.GIS-GAN-NA IB-TA-BAL 10 INIM-BI AL-TIL

1-14 - SAR V GIN of plot without house, the

THE AMERICANJOURNAL OF SEMITIC LANGUAGES

GiU17 INIM-BI AL[-TIL] 18 U-KtR-4I LUJ-LiJ-RA

BABYLONIANLEGAL AND BUSINESS DOCUMENTS

CT, II, 7. Bu. 88-5-12, 175 (A priestessbuys a field property)

THE AMERICANJOURNAL OF SEMITICLANGUAGES

har-ri-tum probably means a "ditch," "run," or "canal." The

such meaning fits here. In CT, II, 5, 1. 7, occurs ki-ir-ba-nam,

L1. 8 and 9 are an addition describing the property.

iz-zu-uk appears to be from nasdku="setzen," "einsetzen," "leL. 11. SALdSamas="woman of