Litigation - Statements in court.

Legal procedures against a known rent farmer for leasing the services of a temple-serf to two different men. Dated, but neither witnesses not scribe are mentioned.

This protocol presents the testimonies in a case against A, who offered the services of B, an escaped temple-serf (širku) to two different employers. A is a famous rent farmer of Eanna who was accused of corruption. This text records a small part of the legal proceedings brought against him.

The tablet first lays out the testimony of B, s ploughman (ikkaru) and a temple-serf (širku) of Ištar of Uruk, given before C1, the temple administrator (šatammu), and C2, the courtier and royal supervisor (ša rēš šarri bēl piqitti) of Eanna.

B states that in 8 Cyr he escaped from his plough-team that was headed by D, a ploughman like him. About two years later, in Ulūl (VI) 0a Camb, he was spotted and caught by A, who then placed B (to work) with E. B’s wage (idu) was 5 shekels a year, which A took from E.

Next we have E’s testimony:

E confirms B’s words that A entrusted B with him and signed him on the contract (riksu) of 5 shekel a year for B’s wages. Then, however, A sent a letter (šipirtu) to F, the royal supervisor (bēl piqitti) of the city of Kī-Nabû, and offered that B will come to work for him. A wrote to F that if he is interested, he should send B’s wages of 5 shekel a year to A. otherwise, B will stay with E. F apparently agreed and B has been working for him since.

B and E were able to show to C1 and C2 the said letter, which was sent by an alphabetic scribe (sepīru) in the service of A to F, and this confirmed E’s testimony.*

The letter is inspected in the assembly (puhru), bound, sealed, and deposited in the Eanna (to be used later in the broader legal procedures known to have taken place against A).

* The text quotes here the relevant passage from the original letter word by word.

A= Gimillu/Innin-šumu-ibni, a known rent farmer (ša muhhi sūti) of Eanna; B= Rēhētu/Arad-Innin, the ploughman (ikkaru), a temple-serf (širku) of Ištar of Uruk; C1= Nabû-mukīn-apli/Nādin/Dābibī, temple administrator (šatammu) of Eanna; C2= Nabû-ahu-iddin, courtier and royal supervisor (ša rēš šarri bēl piqitti) of Eanna; D= Šamaš-mukīn-apli/Sîn-nādin-šumi, head of a plough-team; E= Sîn-ibni/Nabû-zabādu; F= Nabû-nādin/Erība, royal supervisor (bēl piqitti) of the city of Kī-Nabû