Basic Metadata

NaBuCCo ID
3904
Museum No.
YBC 03524
CDLI P-Identifier
Place of issue
Bitqu-ša-Bēl-ēṭir
Type and Content
Leases
Archive
Eanna temple
Dossier
None
Period
NB
Year BCE
None
Editio princeps
YOS 21

Content

Paraphrase

Land sub-lease for tending the date palms in an orchard belonging to the temple

A gives land … from his rent farm (sūtu) to B for the purpose of orchard-tending (nukaribbūtu). The land is property (makkūru) of the Lady-of-Uruk and [Nanāya].

Its location is described in detail but only fragmentary preserved: ... Dūr-Ugūm ... [...], from the border of [...] the bīt ritti-land of C1, to the bīt ritti-land of C2.

B will plant (zaqāpu, wr. i-zaq-pi for izaqqap) … (broken), and will make (šakānu) there (ina libbi) (i.e., in between and below the date palms of the existing orchard) a garden with vegetables (šikittu) and fruit trees (gapnu, wr. ga-pa-nu). He will also have to surround (lamû) the gardens/orchard with a wall? (x x x x kát til lu, uncl.), dig (herû) the irrigation canals (nāru) and supply them with water (mê ṣabātu Š).

For the (digging) work (herûtu) below (šupal) the date palms, A will give B x (perhaps 5) kor of dates per (surface) kor worked with iron spades (bīt marri), x (perhaps 4) kor of dates per (surface) kor worked with a plough (bīt erešti), as the gardener remuneration (sissinnu).

[B] guarantees (pūtu našû) for the guarding (maṣṣartu) of fronds and shoots (of the date palms) and against the felling (dâku) of the date palms. Whoever transgresses the agreement will pay 1 [mina] of silver.

The document does not specify what B has to pay as rent (fixed rent or a share from the crops?).

Names of 4 witnesses and the scribe.

 

A= Gimillu/Innin-šumu-ibni, a known rent farmer of the Eanna; B= Sîn-ahu-bulliṭ/Ahu-lakūn; C1= Nabû-ēreš; C2= Bēl-iddin/Bābilāya

Transliteration
Babylonian Date (year-month-day):
Nbk IV. 01-[x]-[x]

further information

Imported (Person, Date)
Yuval Levavi, Kathleen Abraham (11/09/2023)
Legacy NaBuCCo ID
None