Basic Metadata

NaBuCCo ID
3880
Museum No.
YBC 06934
Primary Publication
YOS 7 164
Place of issue
Uruk city
Regional setting
Uruk region
Places mentioned on Tablet
Uruk city
Archive
Eanna temple
Period
Early Achaemenid
Babylonian Date (year-month-day):
Cam. 04-IV-22
Date BCE
22/07/526

Digeanna

Van Driel Files
2 h
Text Form
Protocol (...)
Legal Purpose
Transfer in lieu of debt (Datio in solutum) (...)
Transaction Type
transactional (incoming)
Domain (Eanna)
Higher-order management and policies
Format of the tablet
landscape
Private context
True

Content

Paraphrase

Nabû-mukīn-apli/Aḫi-yalid (NMA) and his brother Bēl-šarru-uṣur/Aḫi-yalid (BŠU) voluntarily (ina ḫud libbi) give Eanna their 2 slaves, 5-year-old Kī-Šamaš and 4-year-old Ištar-aḫu-iddin, in lieu of their remainders (rēḫu) from Cam. 04 and Cam. 01–Cam. 04, which amount to 2.5 minas of silver.

The remainder from Cam. 04 amounts to 2 minas and 3¼ shekels of silver, including: 43⅛ shekels of silver for 2 talents 7.5 minas of wool; 1⅛ shekel for 11⅓ minas of goat hair; 1 mina 19 shekels for 79 sheep and goats. A total of 2 minas and 3¼ shekels of silver is the price (šīmu) of the sheep and goats, wool, and goat hair.

The remainder from Cam. 01–Cam. 03 is 27 ¾+2/24 shekels of silver, due for 1 talent and 24 minas of wool.

NMA and BŠU guarantee to take action if a contestant (sēḫû) or a claimant (pāqirānu) comes forward with claims regarding the slaves. Mutual guarantee.

Written in the presence of Nabû-mukīn-apli/Nādinu//Dābibī, High Priest (šatammu) of Eanna, and Nabû-aḫu-iddin, Royal Overseer (ša rēš šarri bēl piqitti) of Eanna.

5 witnesses, including Bēl-eṭēri-Nabû, royal courtier (ša rēš šarri), and Amurru-šarru-uṣur, Aramaic scribe (sepīru) appointed to Eanna (ša ina Eanna paqdu).

3 scribes: Nādinu//Egibi, Arad-Marduk//Bēl-aplu-uṣur, and Marduk-nāṣir//Šigûa.

Legacy Paraphrase

Paraphrase 1

Sale of two slave boys as recompense for outstanding debts. Nabû-mukīn-apli and Bēl-šar-uṣur/Aḫu-ālidu sold Kî-Šamaš (5 years old) and Ištar-aḫu-iddina (4 years old) to the Temple Treasury for 2,5 mina silver, in more detail: 2/3 mina, 3,1/8 shekel silver for 2 talents, 7,5 mina wool; 1,1/8 shekel for 11,33 mina goat hair; 1 mina 19 shekel for 79 sheep and goats, their debt of 4 years. They guarantee each other. Nabû-mukīn-apli/Nādinu//Dābibī, bishop (šatammu) of Eanna, Nabû-aḫu-iddin, royal representative (ša rēš šarri) and commissioner (bēl piqitti) of Eanna, witness the proceedings. Four further witnesses and Nādinu/(Bēl-aḫḫē-iqīša)//Egibi and Arad-Marduk(/Marduk-šumu-iddin)//Bēl-aplu-uṣur, the scribes.

Paraphrase 2

A sale contract for the sale of two slave boys in lieu of unpaid balance.

The tablet records the sale of two slave (lamutānu) boys against unpaid balance (rēhu) of silver. Although the text is phrased as a sale contract, the “sellers” were not paid, rather they covered their debt to the temple in the form of the slaves.

A1 and A2, of their own free will (ina hūd libbi), sale (ana kaspi nadānu) the five-year old boy B1 and the four-year old boy B2, worth (ana) 2½ mina of silver, to the Eanna (lit. to the property, makkūru, of the Eanna). This would cover their (unpaid) balance of wool (šipātu), goat-hair (šartu), and sheep and goats (ṣēnu) of 4 years, which is comprised of (ina libbi) the following:

43⅛ shekel of silver for 2 talents 7½ mina of wool, 1⅛ shekel for 11⅓ mina of goat hair; and 1 mina and 19 shekels for 79 sheep and goats; a total (napharu) of 123¼ shekels of silver is the price (šīmu) of the sheep and goats, wool, and goat hair. Additionally, they have outstanding balance of 275⁄6 shekel of silver for 1 talent 24 mina of wool, from years 1–3.

A1 and A2 guarantee (pūtu našû) against (suits brought by) a person acting unlawfully (sēhû) or a person having claims (pāqirānu) in respect to (ina muhhi) B1 and B2. Each is responsible for the other (ištēn pūtu šanû našû).

The tablet is drafted in the presence (ina ušuzzu) of: C1, the temple administrator (šatammu) and C2, the royal supervisor of the Eanna (bēl piqitti ša Eanna).Witnesses (mukinnu): D1, D2, D3, D4 the courtier (ša rēš šarri), and D5 the alphabet scribe (sepīru) appointed (paqādu, Stat.) in Eanna. Scribes (ṭupšarru): E1, E2, and E3.

 

A1= Nabû-mukīn-apli/Ahī-yālidu; A2= Bēl-šarru-uṣur/Ahī-yālidu; B1= Kī-Šamaš; B2= Ištar-ahu-iddin; C1= Nabû-mukīn-zēri/Nādin//Dābibī, temple administrator (šatammu); C2= Nabû-ahu-iddin, royal supervisor of the Eanna (bēl piqitti ša Eanna); D1= Arad-Marduk/Zēria//Egibi; D2= Sîn-Ēreš/Nabû-šumu-līšir//Ibni-ili; D3= Nabû-aplu-iddin/Bēl-uballiṭ//Ša-ṭābṭišu; D4= Bēl-eṭēri-Nabû, courtier (ša rēš šarri); D5= Amurru-šarru-uṣur, the alphabet scribe (sepīru) appointed (paqādu, Stat.) in the Eanna; E1= Nādin//Egibi, scribe (ṭupšarru); E2= Arad-Marduk//Bēl-aplu-uṣur, scribe (ṭupšarru); E3= Marduk-nāṣir//Šigūa, scribe (ṭupšarru)


Further Information

Type and Content
Purchases
last updated by
Małgorzata Sandowicz, June 21, 2025, 8:25 p.m.
Imported (Person, Date)
Yuval Levavi, Kathleen Abraham (08/09/2023)