What He Pays

53. He hath given to him for it:

[

(a) 1,000 measures of land in [] from his property of his paternal estate, but not from the property of the count's estate. (b) And a quarter of every bull that is slaughtered on this highland in every temple.

Future Validity of Contract

54. Lo, he said to the overseer of the highland: "Behold, these measures of land shall belong to every future overseer of the highland, because he delivers to me this bread and beer.'

Conclusion

55. Lo, he was satisfied therewith.

NO. 3. CONTRACT OF MARRIAGE1

The demotic contract of which I here publish a translation bears the number 2433 of the Egyptian collection in the Louvre. It is not unique of its kind; for there are like ones in the British Museum, the Museum of Turin, and amongst the demotic contracts of Berlin and Leyden. M. Brugsch also has given at the end of his "Grammaire demotique" the facsimile of a marriage contract of the same sort, which he thought was a deed of sale. It may, therefore, be said that the decipherment of this kind of documents is a new fact in science. It must be remarked that the text chosen is part of a collection of documents relating to a single family, the great portion of the deeds being in the Louvre and some in the British Museum. Thus it is known that by virtue of the present marriage settlement, and of the mortgage there expressly specified, that Ta-outem three years afterward, in the year 36 of Philadelphus, acknowledged by letter a debt of 15 shekels repayable in the 33rd year, that is to say 36 months, and that these 15 shekels had then produced 28 (Papyrus No. 2443 of the Louvre). At this date, if he had not paid, the property of the husband would have belonged to the wife. Philadelphus died before having reached the 33rd year of his reign; but the Papyrus No. 2438, dated in the 2d year of Euergetes, contains in effect the final surrender of his property, which Pchelchons made to his wife Ta-outem. This property came to Pchelchons originally by inheritance from his father, who had apparently assigned to his own wife in the Papyrus No. 2428 of the Louvre. He, according to Papyrus 2424 of the same collection and Hay No. 2 of the British Museum, had divided them between Patem and Pana their sons. Patem, in Papyrus No. 2424, makes a reference to the marriage settlement here published, when he speaks of the gift which his mother had made him of the property which belonged to Pchelchons his father. The Papyrus itself has been published in the "Transactions of the Society of Biblical Archaeology," Vol. VI, p. 284, with a translation in French by the Author.

[Translated by E. REVILLOUT. Reprinted, by permission, from "Records of the Past" (Vol. X, p. 75 seq.), published by Samuel Bagster and Sons, London. From the reign of Ptolemy Philadelphus (Thirty-first dynasty), b. 309, d. 247 B.c.]

The year 33 xoïax of the King PTOLEMY, the god, being AETUS, son of APOLLONIUS, Priest of ALEXANDER and of the gods brothers, being DEMETRIA, daughter of DIONYSIOS, Canephoros before ARSINOE PHILADELPHIA, the Pastophore of AMMON API of the Western region of Thebes. PATMA Son of PCHELCHONS, whose mother is TAHET, says to the woman TA-OUTEM, daughter of RELOU, whose mother is TANETEM: I have accepted thee for wife, I have given thee one argenteus,' in shekels 5, one argenteus in all for thy woman's gift. I must give thee 6 oboli, their half is 3, to-day 6, by the month 3, by the double month 6, 36 for a year: equal to one argenteus and one fifth, in shekels 6, one argenteus and one fifth in all for thy toilet during a year. Lastly, a tenth of an argenteus, in shekels one half, one argenteus one tenth for thy pin 2 money by the month, which makes one argenteus and one fifth, in shekels 6, one argenteus and one fifth for thy pin 2 money for the year. Thy pin2 money for one year is apart from thy toilet money. I must give it to thee each year, and it is thy right to exact the payment of thy toilet money, and thy pin 2 money, which are to be placed to my account. I must give it to thee. Thy eldest son, my eldest son, shall be the heir of all my property, present and future. I will establish thee as wife.

3

In case I should despise thee, in case I should take another wife than thee, I will give thee 20 argenteus, in shekels 100, 20 argenteus in all. The entire of the property which is mine, and which I shall possess, is security of all the above words, until I have accomplished them according to their tenor. I have no more to allege, any other matter, any other word. . 4 with thee. The writings which the woman TAHET, daughter of TEOS, my mother, has made to me concerning one half of the entire of the property which belonged to PCHELCHONS, son of PANA, my father," and the rest of the contracts coming from her, and which are in my hand, belong to thee, as well as the rights resulting from it. For thee all that, as well as that which I shall justify in their name. Son, daughter, coming from me, who shall annoy thee on this subject will give thee 20 argenteus, in shekels 100, 20 argenteus in

1 There is scarcely necessity to observe that the context sufficiently proves that an argenteus was worth 5 shekels, and that a shekel was worth 6 oboli.

2 Or, "pocket money."

3 This specification of the mortgage is very remarkable. 4 Lacunæ.

5 See the preface for this point.

Patma had in reality a daughter by another marriage, who in Papyrus No. 2438, expressly agrees to the settlement of all the patrimony made by Patma to his new wife.

all. He will deliver them up to thee entirely without any opposition, the writer of this act is . . . the Priest of AMMON HORPNETER, Son of SMIN.

SECTION 2. BABYLONIAN AND ASSYRIAN

NO. 1. EARLY BABYLONIAN LEGAL DOCUMENTS1

TRANSLATIONS OF SELECTED TEXTS

1. Purchase of a Slave

One slave, by the name of Ina-gâti-Shamash, the servant of (the?) GAL-SHAG-GA, Adajtaum son of Abu-w(j)aqar has bought from his master (the?) GAL-SHAG-GA. He has paid the money according to his full prize. The bukanu has been transferred. For all future time they shall not complain against one another. The spirit(?) of the god Marduk and (the king) Sinmubalit, the spirit(?) of Bêl-tâbi and his consort (?) they have invoked.

Follow the names of five witnesses.

2. Purchase of a Special Kind of House

11⁄2 SAR of E-RU-A, not ruggubu, situated in Sippar-jahrurum, which on the former tablet had been designated as E-KI-GAL, on one side adjoining the house of Hungulum son of Nabium-êkalli, which he had bought from the sons of the bârû priest Rammânidinnam, on the other side adjoining the street its front being toward the place of the Isinites, its rear toward the house of the scribe Warad-Ibari son of Warad-Mamu-which in the year "when King Ammi-ditana. . . the protecting deities" Hungulum son of Nabium-êkalli had bought from Ilî-iqîsham son of Ali-lûmur for 68 sheqels, including the SI-BI, — (this house) the Shamash priestess Iltâni daughter of Ibi-NIN-SHAḤ has bought with her money from Hungulum son of Nabium-êkalli. She has paid seventeen sheqels of silver, as its full prize, and onehalf of a sheqels he has made as a SI-BI. Her deed is closed. She is satisfied. For all future days they shall not complain against

1

[Reprinted, by permission of the University of Pennsylvania, Department of Archeology, from "Babylonian Legal and Business Documents (from the time of the First Dynasty of Babylon, chiefly from Sippar)," by HERMAN RANKE - The Babylonian Expedition of the University of Pennsylvania (Series A, Cuneiform Texts, edited by H. V. Hilpricht), Vol. vi, part 1, published at Philadelphia, 1906.]

one another. The spirit(?) of Shamash, Aja, Marduk, and of the king Ammi-zaduga they have invoked.

Follow the names of ten witnesses and the scribe.

Annotations: Li. 1. E-RU-A seems to designate a special kind of house (Meissner, A. P. R., p. 104). It has not yet been found written phonetically in early Babylonian texts. The meaning of a house, which is "not ruggubu," is not yet clear. The Semitic reading of SI-BI is not yet certain. For its meaning, cf. Meissner, l.c., p. 96. [The lines (Li.) refer to the transliteration shown in the original text and omitted here.]

Li. 17.

3. A Man buys back his Father's House, which had been sold to a Stranger

One-half SAR of house at Gagim, adjoining the house of the Shamash priestess Halijatum, daughter of Manum- . . . and adjoining also the house of Ribam-ilî, [son of Bûr]-Sin, which Shamashbâni son of Ilushu-ibishu had bought from Sin-idinnam son of Bûr-Sin-Ribam-ili the son of Bûr-Sin has ransomed it, his father's house, from Shamash-bâni son of Ilushu-ibishu. One mine of silver he has paid. The matter is finished, he is satisfied. For all future time they shall not complain against one another. The spirit(?) of the gods Shamash, Aja and Marduk, and of Hammu-rabi they have invoked.

Follow the names of eight witnesses and the scribe.

4. Hiring of a Servant

Maruni(?) son of Etel-bi-Rammân has hired Warad-Rammân the son of Warad-kubi from (his father) Warad-kubi, from the first day of the month Elûlu unto (next) new year. Four sheqels of silver he has paid as monthly rent. If he ., he shall lose

his rent.

Follow the names of two witnesses.

5. A Man rents a Field

One and one-third GAN of field, "good" land, the field of the Shamash priestess Mellatum daughter of Ibkusha - the scribe Marduk-mubalit has rented from the Shamash priestess Mellatum, the owner of the field, in order to cultivate it, at the rate of six GUR of grain on one GAN. At harvest time he shall pay six GUR of grain at the gate of Gagum. One sheqel of silver she has received out of the rent of her field.

6. Six Men rent a Piece of Land, to raise Grain on it. At Harvest Time Each Partner shall receive One-Sixth of the Proceeds

A piece of land to its full extent - district of Tuhamu, in the midst of woodland (?) and stepland, Ibi-Bêl the scribe, Waradkubi son of Ibni-Sin, Ea-sharri-ili son of Sizzatum, Rammân-lûzîrum son of Ibna(?)tum, Warad-Iluli son of Ibnatum, and Ahuni son of Warad-kubi have rented in partnership, in order to plant grain on it. At harvest time they shall harvest the field, thrash the grain, and sow anew(?). One part Ibi-Bêl the scribe shall take, and Warad-kubi son of Ibni-Sin, Ea-sharri-ilî, Rammânlû-zîrum, Warad-Iluli, and Ahuni son of Warad-kubi (shall take) each one part.

Follow the names of four witnesses, including the scribe. Seal impressions of Warad-AB-AB and Ibni-Marduk (both witnesses), and of Warad-kubi (one of the partners).

7. A Man rents a House for One Year

A house belonging to the Shamash priestess Ribatum, NINSHAH-nasir son of Nûr-alishu has rented for one year from the Shamash priestess Ribatum daughter of Ibgatum. He shall pay three sheqels as one year's rent. As first payment on the rent of one year she has received one sheqel and a half. On the first of the month Warahsamna, in its beginning, he shall move in. Three isini of Shamash, one SHIR-ti, 10 qa of shikaru he (the lessee) shall deliver. Concerning the manaḥtu of the house, which the lessee is going to make if the landlord says to the tenant: move out! he (the tenant) shall (may?) destroy his manahtu. If the tenant moves out . . . (of his own will?), he shall lose (variant not destroy) his manahtu.

Follow the names of two witnesses and the scribe.

8. A Man borrows Money from the Temple

5 sheqels of silver Idin-Shamash has borrowed from the god Shamash (ie., from the administration of his temple). At harvest time he shall pay back to Shamash the money and its interest.

Follow the names of two witnesses.