YBC 04029

The fishermen (or: thieves) (bā’iru) Ātanaḫ (A) and Iddināya (I) declare that the fishermen (or: thieves) Bēl-kāṣir (BK) and Iltar-šarru-uṣur (IŠU) were with them when they unlawfully (ina sarti) led away an uncastrated black 4-year-old ox to Uruk from (tp)Ḫurbat-kalbi, from an irrigation district (tamirtu). At the Ganli(ddû) Gate (…), Nādinu/Tabnēa//Kurī and Iddināya/Lūṣi-ana-nūri//Šumu-libši, the scouts (dayyālu) who kept guard in Uruk, apprehended ([iṣ-ṣab]-˹tu˺-na*-a-šú) them and seized (kullu) the ox, while IŠU and BK escaped.

A forged (sipru) (or: alphabetic, sepīru) letter (šipirtu) written in the name of Aplāya/Sîn-aḫu-iddin (A) and sealed was confiscated from I. During the public (ina puḫri) examination of the tablet (^imdub/kišib), it was established that the seal (^na4kišib) did not belong to A.

The neck of the ox was tied (rakāsu) and sealed.

Written in the presence of Nabû-šarru-uṣur, Royal Overseer in Eanna, Silim-ili, royal courtier Keeper of the Royal Box in Eanna (ša rēš šarri ša muḫḫi quppi ša Eanna).

5 witnesses.

Scribe: Šamaš-zēru-iddin/Aḫulap-Ištar//Ekur-zākir.

For bā’iru as “thief,” see Tarasewicz, Iraq 84. For sipru in the meaning “forged,” see Sandowicz 2019: 27–29.

Deposition of Atanaḫ and Iddināya, fishermen (bā’iru). Both men are accused to have stolen a cow (its collar is presented as proof) from Eanna, more specifically its lands, with the aid of Bēl-kaṣir and Ištar-šarru-uṣur, also fishermen. They tried to bring the beast to Uruk, but were stopped at the city gates by Nādinu/Tabnea//Kurī and Iddināya/ Lūṣi-ana-nūr//Šumu-šubši (dayyālu), at which point their accomplices fled. Iddināya tries to justify the act by presenting an Aramaic letter (sipru) from Aplāya/Sîn-aḫu-iddin, but it is recognized as false (saštu). The jury members include Nabû-aḫu-iddin, royal representative (ša rēš šarri) and commissioner (bēl piqitti) of Eanna, and Silim-ili, royal representative (ša rēš šarri) and overseer of the royal cashbox in Eanna (ša muḫḫi quppi ša šarri ina Eanna) as well as five witnesses from the Kurī, Iddin-Amurru, Aḫ’utu, Nūr-Sîn, and Ḫunzû-families each and Šamaš-zēru-iddin/Aḫudan-Ištar//Ekur-zākir as the scribe.