Basic Metadata

NaBuCCo ID
1137
Museum No.
MM 363b
CDLI P-Identifier
Place of issue
No place
Type and Content
Statements in court/Depositions
Archive
Egibi/Nūr-Sîn
Dossier
None
Period
NB
Year BCE
None
Editio princeps
Wunsch, AuOr 15

Content

Paraphrase
Testimonies (a.o. under oath) about the role of a slave as witness. Fragmentary.
A large part of this fragmentarily preserved document consists of declarations in direct speech in which the role of C, witness to a property transfer, is discussed. In the opening lines, in fact, A1 declares under oath (nīš zakāru) before the judges (dayyānu) that he does not know (idû) C, the third witness listed in the tablet (ṭuppu) that records the transfer of assets (nikkassu) to fB2. The name of the donor is lost in a lacuna, but can safely be reconstructed as B, and if we assume that fB2 the beneficiary, was his wife, we are dealing with a property transfer between husband and wife. Then A2 testifies (verb is broken off) before D, the governor (šākin ṭēmi) of Babylon that when B1 (the donor) fell ill, he sent E to someone (possibly C), asking him to come over. He (possibly C) eventually went to B1 (ana pāni alāku) and they decided not to bring suit against A2 (itti dabābu). The following fragmentary passage mentions B1’s arable land (zēru) and building plots (qanû), and again states that "they did not bring suit". It seems that a dispute had arisen about some of the assets that B1had transferred to fB2, but that it eventually did not lead to a formal lawsuit. In the final lines, mostly lost, the role of C is brought up again in directly quoted testimonies by persons whose identity cannot be established. It is claimed that he could strictly speaking not act as witness (šībū), considering the fact that he is a slave (qallu šū). Someone apparently allowed him to be listed (šaṭāru) among the witnesses since they were both present (amāru, lit. "to see") when the purchase price was paid (mahīru nadânu). Finally, in a direct speech someone states that although B1's tablet has been changed (enû), he/she remembers (hasāsu) to whom it had been given. On the lower edge of the tablet there are the seal impressions of 5 judges: F1, F2, F3, F4, F5.
 
A1 = (name broken off)]; A2 = (name broken off); B1 = Nabû-mukīn-apli;  fB2 = fBunanītu; C = Nergal-šumu-iddin/Nabû-šumu-ibni//Rišana-Esangila; D = Nabû-iddin, šākin ṭēm Bābili; E = Nabû-ēṭir-napšāti; F1 = Nergal-Bānûnu, judge; F 2 = Nabû-ahhē-iddin, judge; F 3 = Nabû-šumu-ukīn, judge; F 4 = Bēl-ēṭir, judge; F 5 = Nabû-balāssu-iqbi, judge
Transliteration
None
Babylonian Date (year-month-day):
Nbn. yy---dd

further information

Imported (Person, Date)
Kathleen Abraham 7/03/2017
Legacy NaBuCCo ID
7173