YBC 03999

Expenditure for the purchase of foreign merchandise (gold and wine):

20 minas of silver, for the price of gold, were sent (šūbulu) in Babylon via Marduk-šumu-līšir/Balāssu(//Nūr-Sîn) (MŠL) and Ḫašdāya/Bēl-ibni(//Bābūtu) (Ḫ) in Nbn 8.V.27.

From it (were bought):
– ⅓ mina 4½ shekels of gold for 5 minas and 18½ shekels of silver (in l. 4: erroneous 5 minas 19⅓ shekels), at the rate of 1 shekel of gold for 13 shekels of silver.
– 1¼ shekels of gold for 15 shekels of silver, at the rate of 1 : 12
– 52⅓ shekels of gold for 9½ minas 5⅔ shekels of silver, at the rate of 1 : 11

– 15¾ shekels of gold for 2 minas 37½ shekels of silver (in l. 8: error 3 forgotten and only 7 was written), at the rate of 1 : 10;
– 9¼ shekels of gold for 1 mina 18 shekels of silver, at the rate of 1 : 8½.

Total: 1⅔ minas 3 1/24 shekels of gold for 19 minas 5 1/3 shekels of silver (l. 11: erroneous 18 minas 6 1/24 shekels).
[...] of silver were lost during smelting in Babylon (ina pitqi ina Bābili inṭû).

From the price of the wine, they brought here (ušēlûnu) from Babylon:
– [x] shekel(s) at the disposal of Innin-šumu-ibni/Nabû-bēlšunu;
– [x] 9½ shekels of silver returned (itteḫsî) to the temple store.

Total: 19 minas 52 13/24 (1/2 + 1 girû) shekels of silver were received (maḫru) from MŠL and Ḫ. 

10 shekels of naltar-gold for 2 minas of silver, at the rate of 1 : 12, were received (maḫir) via (ina qātē) Šumu-ukīn/Bēl-upaḫḫir//Rab-tarbaṣi.

Total: 1 mina 53 1/24 shekels of gold for silver were received (maḫru), of which (ina libbi) 1 mina 3 shekels of gold were for assaying (ana pīdāni), at the disposal of Širikti and Ḫ, the goldsmiths (kutimmu).

Note

The text shows that the sellers of gold in Babylon use different rates. About Marduk-šumu-līšir/Balāssu, the jeweler, Širikti and Ḫašdāya, the goldsmiths (kutimmu), see Payne 2007, 225, 238, 256.