2016 New Additions to the Rahimesu Archive: Parthian Texts from the British Museum and the World...

www.nino-leiden.nl

This pdf is a digital offprint of your contribution in

Silver, Money and Credit. A Tribute to Robartus J. van der Spek on the Occasion of his 65th Birthday on 18th September 2014. PIHANS, vol. 128; ISBN: 978-90-6258-339-3. www.nino-leiden.nl/publication/silver-money-and-credit

The copyright on this publication belongs to the publisher, the Netherlands Institute for the Near East (Leiden).

As author you are licensed to make up to 50 paper prints from it, or to send the unaltered pdf file to up to 50 relations. You may not publish this pdf on the World Wide Web – including websites such as Academia.edu and open-access repositories – until one year from publication (August 2016). Please ensure that anyone receiving an offprint from you, observes these rules as well.

For any queries about offprints and copyright, please contact the editorial department at the Netherlands Institute for the Near East: [email protected]

http://www.nino-leiden.nl

http://www.nino-leiden.nl/publication/silver-money-and-credit

mailto:NINOpublications%40hum.leidenuniv.nl?subject=

PIHANS. UItgAveN vAN Het NederlANdS INStItUUt voor Het NAbIje ooSteN te leIdeN

voorheen Publications de l’Institut historique-archéologique néerlandais de Stamboul

onder redactie van j.g. derCKSeN, j. eIdeM, K. van der toorN en K.r. veeNHoF

CXXvIII

SIlver, MoNey ANd CredIt

A trIbUte to robArtUS j. vAN der SPeK

oN tHe oCCASIoN oF HIS 65tH bIrtHdAy

Bert van der Spek(Photo: Yvonne Compier/Communicatie & Marketing, VU)

SIlver, MoNey ANd CredIt

A trIbUte to robArtUS j. vAN der SPeK

oN tHe oCCASIoN oF HIS 65tH bIrtHdAy

edited by

Kristin Kleber and reinhard Pirngruber

NederlANdS INStItUUt voor Het NAbIje ooSteNleIdeN

2016

Copyright 2016 by Nederlands Instituut voor het Nabije oosten

Witte Singel 25 Postbus 9515

2300 rA leiden, Nederland

[email protected]

www.nino-leiden.nl

All rights reserved, including the rights to translate or to reproduce this book or parts thereof in any form

Cover illustration: Lydian tribute bringers at Persepolis. Photo: Richard Stone.

Printed in belgium

Silver, Money and Credit. A tribute to robartus j. van der Spek on the occasion of his 65th birthday / edited by Kristin Kleber and reinhard Pirngruber. — leiden: Nederlands Instituut voor het Nabije oosten. PIHANS = Uitgaven van het Nederlands Instituut voor het Nabije oosten te leiden (ISSN 1571-5728; 128) (voorheen Uitgaven van het Nederlands Historisch-Archaeologisch Instituut te Istanbul) = Publications de l’Institut historique-archéologique néerlandais de Stamboul)ISbN 978-90-6258-339-3

Table of ConTenTs

Kristin Kleber and Reinhard Pirngruber editors’ foreword. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vII

Jaap-Jan Flinterman toespraak bij het afscheid van bert van der Spek als hoogleraar oudheidkunde . . . . . IX-XII

Amelie Kuhrt ‘bert’ and the History and Historiography of the Seleucid empire . . . . . . . . . . . . XIII-XvIII

bibliography of robartus j. van der Spek . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .XIX-XXvII

tabula gratulatoria . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . XXIX

MesopoTaMia

Theo J.H. Krispijn early Silver: thoughts about the Sign KU3 in the earliest documents from Uruk . . . . . 1-10

Jan Gerrit Dercksen Kaspam lašqul “Let Me Weigh Out the Silver”: Mesopotamian and Anatolian Weights during the old Assyrian Colony Period . . . . . . 11-22

Marten Stol the old babylonian ‘I owe you’ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23-37

Kristin Kleber the Kassite gold and the Post-Kassite Silver Standards revisited . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39-60

Michael Jursa Silver and other Forms of elite Wealth in Seventh Century bC babylonia . . . . . . . . . 61-71

Caroline Waerzeggers the Silver has gone… temple theft and a divided Community in Achaemenid babylonia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73-85

Johannes Hackl New Additions to the Raḫimesu Archive: Parthian texts from the british Museum and the World Museum liverpool . . . . . . . 87-106

Reinhard Pirngruber the value of Silver: Wages as guides to the Standard of living in First Millennium bC babylonia . . . . . 107-118

vI table of Contents

China and The persian eMpire

Bas van Leeuwen and Yi Xu Silverization of China during the Ming-Qing transition (ca. 1550-1700) and the Consequences for research into the babylonian economy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119-132

Wouter F.M. Henkelman and Margaretha L. Folmer Your Tally is Full! on Wooden Credit records in and after the Achaemenid empire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133-239

Mark Tamerus elusive Silver in the Achaemenid Heartland: thoughts on the Presence and Use of Silver According to the Persepolis Fortification and treasure Archives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241-294

The levanT and GreeCe

Willemijn J.I. Waal Silver in Search of his Father: A Comparative Folkloristic Approach to an episode of the Song of Silver. . . . . . . . . 295-306

Jorrit M. Kelder Mycenae, rich in Silver. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 307-317

Caroline van der Brugge the Silver Krater of King Phaedimus: A Small Piece of tyrian History in the Odyssey. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 319-332

Diana E. Kretschmann ‘A bad Penny always turns up’: Silver Coins and Citizenship Ideology in Classical Athens. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 333-348

neW additions to the raḫimesu archive: parthian texts from the British museum and the

World museum liverpool

Johannes Hackl*

The latest economic documents from babylonia written in cuneiform come from a group of tablets dubbed the Raḫimesu archive.1 The name of the archive, in the loose Assyriological sense of the word, is deduced from its main protagonist Raḫimesu, or, more precisely, Raḥīm-Esu (beloved-of-Isis). The textual record left by his activities is remarkably consistent and does not contain the variation in text types attested for other individuals who maintained close busi-ness relations with the babylonian temples. In fact, all texts belonging to his archive are terse and stereotyped lists of income and expenditures which consist of an introductory statement giving the amount of the income collected in a certain sanctuary for a specific period of time. This introduction is followed by a varying number of specific expenditures (e.g., twenty-four entries in Ct 49 150 = Spek, Raḫimesu 13 but only three in No. 3 below) and the remainder of the silver (i.e., the balance) that was deposited with Raḫimesu. Thus far, thirty-six lists of this kind can be attributed to the archive, all of which date from the years 154 and 155 of the Arsacid era (Ae), thus the years 218 and 219 of the Seleucid era (Se), respectively (i.e., 94 and 93 bC). The transactions recorded in these lists were exclusively conducted in silver and thus mark the last phase of the general trend of an increasing monetisation of economic exchange that can be observed in the course of the first millennium bC.2

* My work on these texts was conducted under the auspices of an ongoing project entitled Official Episto-lography in Babylonia in the First Millennium BC S 10803-g18 as part of a National research Network “Imperium” and “Officium” – Comparative Studies in Ancient Bureaucracy and Officialdom funded by the Fonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung (Austria) and directed by M. jursa at the University of vienna. Unpublished texts from the british Museum and the World Museum liverpool are cited with the kind permission of the trustees of the british Museum and A. Cooke, the Head of Antiquities at the World Museum liverpool, respectively. I am indebted to C.b.F. Walker for bringing bM 39310 and 40068 to my attention as well as for factual information, discussion and suggestions; to M. jursa and M. Krebernik for the discussion of epigraphical and etymological issues; to e. Cripps for information regarding the acqui-sition of WMl 51.63.126; to j. Fincke, j. Monerie and r. Pirngruber for photographs of bM 33984, 39310, 40068 and rm 1000; to e.e. Payne who took upon herself the task of improving my english. responsibil-ity for errors is mine. Abbreviations are those of the Archiv für Orientforschung 48/49 (2001/02), 311-505 and jursa 2005, 153-155; note furthermore: Spek, Raḫimesu + number: text published in van der Spek 1998. babylonian dates are cited in the format day-month-regnal/dynastic year. Unclear translations are represented in italics. Signs written over an incomplete erasure have ° added.1 In general, see jursa 2005, 75-76 and most recently Hackl 2013, I 472-475 with the pertinent literature on which the following introductory remarks are based. A prosopography of the archive will be presented elsewhere.2 jursa 2010, 469-753 and the convenient summary 772-783.

88 j. Hackl

The socio-economic background of Raḫimesu’s business activities can be further elucidat-ed by the lease contract Ct 49 160 = Spek, Raḫimesu 24 (babylon, Se 28.1.219) concerning one Bēl-abu-uṣur, son of bēl-iddin, an entertainer (Akk. kurgarrû), who according to this record was engaged in the same type of business as Raḫimesu. It tells us that the right to the collection of temple income was farmed out to private businessmen against the obligation of paying out salaries for temple personnel and meeting other expenses of the temples such as the acquisition of supplies for the upkeep of the offering system. The business model pursued by Raḫimesu and others like Bēl-abu-uṣur3 thus exhibits the two essential elements common to professional banking, i.e., the safe-keeping and managing of funds on behalf of third parties.4

judging from the sanctuaries mentioned in the texts (most notably esangila) and the few tablets which state the place of issue5, the provenance of the archive is certainly babylon. The exact findspot within the city as well as its original composition, however, remain unknown, as is the case with so many other archives that were (almost entirely) unearthed by clandestine diggers and dispersed through the antiquities market in the late nineteenth century.6 to some extent, this lack of primary archaeological documentation can be compensated for by ‘museum archaeology’.7 If one isolates the (roughly) contemporary texts represented in the same collec-tions of the british Museum which also contain Raḫimesu texts8, two major groups can be dis-tinguished. The first is made up by Astronomical diaries and related texts which contain system-atic records of astronomical observations, political events and other information.9 The second group consists of archival and literary texts among which are found the archive of the astrologers of the Mušēzib family10 and a few isolated texts11 pertaining to the administration of esangila during the late Hellenistic period. The nature of these texts strongly suggests that they were kept within the temple complex which, in turn, can also be argued for the Raḫimesu texts, given the same museum context. Possible reasons why the latter were deposited in a temple store room include safe-keeping and centralised bookkeeping, e.g., after the end of an accounting period.

3 Another representative of this type of business model is Bēl-uballiṭ attested in Ct 49 143 = Spek, Raḫimesu 1 which is slightly earlier (Se 186).4 jursa 2010, 245.5 e.g., Iraq 43, 143 (Ab 248) = Spek, Raḫimesu 6 and No. 1 below.6 Raḫimesu texts found in the british Museum’s 1880-11-12, rm and rm Iv collections were in fact recov-ered during H. rassam’s expeditions to Mesopotamia (see in general Walker/Collon 1980 and reade apud leichty 1986, xiii-xxxvi). However, the notoriously inadequate archaeological documentation produced by the early excavators and the joint registration of tablets from various sites such as babylon, borsippa, dilbat and Kutha resulted in an almost complete loss of their archaeological value.7 on this term see jursa 2005, 57.8 rm, rm Iv, Sp, Sp III, 1878-7-30, 1880-1-26, 1880-11-12, 1881-2-1, 1881-6-25 and SH 1883-9-28.9 on these text types in general see van der Spek 1993.10 Most recently Hackl 2013, I 461-472 with the pertinent literature.11 e.g., bM 34210 (Se 20.[x].220), a letter addressed to the assembly of the jewellers of the esangila (edited in Hackl 2013, II 51, no. 91), and Ct 49 149 (Se 185), a fragmentary protocol of deliberation of the temple assembly of the esangila similar to those attributed to the archive of the astrologers of the Mušēzib family (bor 4, 132, Ct 49 144 and 186+).

New Additions to the Rahimesu Archive 89

The eleven texts presented here, most of which are published for the first time,12 fall into two categories. First, administrative lists of the type described above (Nos. 1-10). like the majority of the remaining Raḫimesu texts, they display four more or less standardised tablet formats with portrait orientation and a rather distinct type of square edge:13 a large format (~ 13 × 7.5 × 2.9 cm), a medium format (~ 6.7 × 5.5 × 2.4 cm) and two small formats (~ 5.6 × 4.8 × 2.2 cm and ~ 4.7 × 3.7 × 2 cm).14 The choice of format seems to have been dictated by the number of entries to be written on the tablet. None of the texts, and this is also true for the remaining Raḫimesu texts, have seals, which is somewhat unexpected considering the sealing practices during the period from which they date.15 Since almost all of the expenditures recorded in Nos. 1-10 are known from other texts, only a few entries deserve explicit mention. No. 1 tells us that Raḫimesu also had to pay for purifications (Akk. kuppuru), which is in fact already suggested by the payment of allowances to cleaners (Akk. muremmiku), i.e., to temple personnel performing purifications, attested in two other texts of the archive.16 The reading of the subject of the purification remains obscure, but according to the text we know that it played a role in the procession to the Ḫursagkalamma.17 It thus seems reasonable to assume that we are dealing here with a certain piece of cultic paraphernalia such as a ceremonial vehicle, cultic ves-sel, textile or insignia. other hitherto unattested entries can be found in No. 9. They concern the acquisition of woollen sashes (the recipients of which are lost) and oil for the holy water ba-sin. Also worth noting is the otherwise unknown term pišṭu mentioned in No. 8 for which no satisfactory etymology can be proposed at the moment. depending on the reading of the deter-minative (either s ík or túg), it is clear, though, that it designates some kind of wool or garment.

And second, a small fragment of what appears to have been an inscribed lid that served as the cover of a jar or some other type of vessel (No. 11).18 The preserved part of its rounded edge suggests that when complete it should have been about ten centimetres in diameter. The date (Se [x].1.221) and the mention of a cashbox (Akk. quppu) in the inscription clearly place it in the ambit of Raḫimesu’s activities. However, the complete lack of prosopographical data and other circumstantial evidence renders an attribution to the archive proper uncertain. The most important information that can be gleaned from the remainder of the inscription concerns the contents of the jar. According to line three, it not only held eight tablets (Akk. šipirtu), i.e.,

12 No. 6 was already published by Strassmaier 1888, 134-135, no. 8 = Spek, Raḫimesu 30. No. 7 consists of two fragments which were published separately by Kessler 2000, 237 and 239, Nos. 16 and 14 = Spek, Raḫimesu 17 and 34; they have now been joined by the author.13 but note that in some cases the edges are slightly concave creating the impression that the scribe did not exactly know how to produce a square edge (C.b.F. Walker, personal communication).14 Henceforth format A, b, C and d.15 A good general introduction to the subject is Altavilla/Walker 2016, 5-23. A plausible explanation for the missing seals is that the Raḫimesu texts at our disposal are in fact copies drawn up with the intention of using them for further bookkeeping.16 brM 1 99 = Spek, Raḫimesu 18: 23 and Ct 49 150 = Spek, Raḫimesu 13: 20. on the reading see van der Spek 1998, 225. 17 It is not clear from the text whether the purification or the procession took place on day 28 of Du’ūzu.18 I owe this suggestion to C.b.F. Walker.

90 j. Hackl

presumably lists of expenditures and income typical for the archive, but also ten non-cuneiform documents (Akk. sipru) apparently written in Aramaic or greek. While the contents of the lat-ter remain unknown, the explicit mention of both types of documents attests to the parallel use of cuneiform and non-cuneiform administrative records as late as the first century bCe.19

The mere mention of Raḫimesu evokes the name of bert van der Spek who in 1998 published editions of the Raḫimesu texts known at the time which served as the basis of a study on the standard of living in babylonia during the late Period. It is thus only fitting that I dedicate this sizeable addition to the published part of the archive to bert at the time of his retirement.

19 Also note that Kessler 2000, 236, no. 12 = Spek, Raḫimesu 32, another text belonging to the archive, mentions wax stored in a reed basket (lines 1-3 read 4 gín duḫ*.làl* šá a-⸢di-x-x⸣, ta giḫal-lat šá duḫ*.làl*, šá ina da Ira-ḫi-me-su ⸢pi-qid⸣ ...) which may point to the use of writing boards coated with wax (in general see Macginnis 2002). However, the context is too damaged to be sufficiently explicable.

Fig. 1: text No. 1 (bM 33984), handcopy by the author.


editions

No. 1: BM 33984 (Sp 80)

Transcription

Babylon, SE 2.5.218

Obv. [2]/3 ma.na kù.babbar ⸢šá⸣ [ud.x]+10.[ka]m šá itisig mu.154.kamšá ši-⸢i⸣ [m]u.⸢218.kam ina túgṣu⸣-ra-ruina ⸢gi⸣[ḫal-la]t [šá]-⸢kin u ina da I⸣r[a-ḫi-me]-⸢e⸣-su pi-qid na-šá-⸢a⸣18 ⸢gín⸣ [ x x ] ⸢x kù.babbar šá⸣ u[d.x]+10.[kam šá it]i gan šá mu an-nitina ⸢túgṣu-ra-ru⸣ ina giḫal-⸢lat šá-kin u ina⸣ da

5 Ira-⸢ḫi⸣-[me]-e-su pi-⸢qid na-šá-a⸣1 ma.na ⸢13 1/2 gín kù.babbar šá ud.12.kam šá iti⸣šušá mu an-nit ⸢ina túgṣu-ra-ru ina giḫal⸣-latšá-⸢kin⸣ u ina da I⸢ra-ḫi⸣-[m]e-⸢e-su pi-qid⸣ na-šá-a2 ma.⸢na 9⸣ 1/2 gín ⸢kù.babbar⸣ er-bi ⸢šá giš⸣qu-up-pu

10 u pa-na-at gišqu-up-pu šá níg.⸢ga d⸣za-ba4-⸢ba4⸣u d⸢nin.líl šá ta⸣ ud.21?.[kam šá it]i⸢bar⸣⸢mu.154⸣.k[am š]á ⸢ši-i mu⸣.[218.kam en ud.x.kam šá itix][...]

Rev. [...]1’ [ x ] ⸢x x⸣ [ ]

[ x ] 4 ma.⸢na⸣ [ ]⸢šá⸣ ud.20.kam ⸢šá⸣ iti⸢kin⸣ [x x x x]{x} NI IŠ ⸢x x x x x x x⸣

5’ iš šá na a ⸢ana de⸣-ka-a-tú la-pa-⸢ni⸣-šúu ina ⸢murub4⸣ šu-ub-bu-ra-at1/2 gín ana ku-up-pu-ru DI x ⸢x⸣šá ud.⸢28⸣.kam šá itišu ana du-akana uruḫur.sag.kalam.ma ana Iumun-tin-⸢su⸣-e

10’ lúku4.é šá é ḫi-il-ṣu šá é.ud.1.kam sumeki itine ud.2.kam mu.154.kam⸢šá⸣ ši-⸢i⸣ mu.218.kam Iar-šá-ka-a lugal lugalmeš

Lo.E. vacat re-ḫi ⸢1/3⸣ ma.na 9 g[ín x x x kù.babbar]

15’ ina túgṣu-ra-ru ina g[iḫal-lat šá-kin u ina da] Ira-ḫi-me-⸢e⸣-[su pi-qid]

92 j. Hackl

Translation

(1-3) 40 shekels of silver which (were collected) [on day x]+10 of month III, year 154 (AE), i.e., year 218 (SE), were (packed) in a linen purse, put in a reed [bask]et and deposited with R[aḫim]esu, withdrawn.

(4-6) 18 shekels (and) [..]. of silver which (were collected) on d[ay x]+10 [of mon]th IX of this year were (packed) in a linen purse, put in a reed basket and deposited with Raḫimesu, withdrawn.

(7-9) 73.5 shekels of silver which (were collected) on day 12 of month IV of this year were (packed) in a linen purse, put in a reed basket and deposited with Raḫimesu, withdrawn.

(10-13) 129.5 shekels of silver are the income from the cashbox and from the panātu of the cashbox of the property of Zababa and Ninlil which (was collected) between day 21? [of mon]th I, year 154 (AE), [i].e., year [218 (SE), and day ... of month ..., ...].(the rest of the obverse and the beginning of the reverse are lost)

(1’-4’) (too fragmentary for translation)(5’-6’) ... and broken in the middle.(7’-10’) 0.5 shekel for the purification of ... on day 28 of month IV for the procession to Ḫursagkalamma

was entrusted to Bēl-balāssu-iqbi, the ‘temple enterer’ of the bit ḫilṣi of the Day One Temple.(11’-13’) Babylon, month V, day 2, year 154 (AE), i.e., year 218 (SE), Arsaces being king of kings.(14’) Balance:(14’-16’) 29 she[kels (and) ... of silver were] (packed) in a linen purse, [put] in a re[ed basket and deposited

with] Raḫimesu.

Commentary

7.2* × 7.0 × 2.7 cm20, format A. Note that bM 33984 is the only text presented here that gives the place of issue (also compare Ct 49 145 = Spek, Raḫimesu 2, Ct 149 159 = Spek, Raḫimesu 7 and Iraq 43, 143 [Ab 248] = Spek, Raḫimesu 6).

(11) For panātu (also in Nos. 2, 3, 5, 6, 8, 9 and 10) see the discussion in Van der Spek 1998, 211 and Waerzeggers 2010, 308-313.

(4’) The two signs following IŠ could in fact be anše over an incomplete erasure.(5’) The exact meaning of this line is unclear to me.

20 Measurements are length × width × thickness. When incomplete, they have an asterix added.


No. 2: WML 51.63.126

Transcription

no place of issue, SE 12.8.218

Obv. [ x x g]ín kù.babbar er-bi šá giš⸢qu-up-pu⸣[u] pa-na-at gišqu-up-pu {x}⸢šá⸣ é.sa.bad šá ta ud.15°.kam!

šá itidu6 mu.154.kam°5 šá ši-i mu.218.kam en

<ud>.12.kam šá itiap[in šá mu]an-nit kù.babbar [ x x x ]8 gín kù.⸢babbar⸣ [ina x x x ][ina] ⸢gi⸣ḫal-⸢lat⸣ [šá-kin u ina da]

Lo.E. vacatRev. [I]ra-⸢ḫi⸣-[me-su pi-qid]

vacat (space of 2 lines)itiapin ud.12.k[am mu.154.kam]šá ši-i ⸢mu.218°.kam⸣ {x}Iar-šá-ka-a lugal lugalmeš

Translation(1-7) [n shek]els of silver are the income from the cashbox [and] from the panātu of the cashbox of

Esabad which (was collected) between day 15 of month VII, year 154 (AE), i.e., year 218 (SE), and day 12 of month VII [of ] this [year].

(7-10) Silver [...] 8 shekels of silver were (packed) [in a leather bag/linen purse, put in] a reed basket [and deposited with] Raḫi[mesu].

(11-13) Month VIII, day 12, [year 154 (AE)], i.e., year 218 (SE), Arsaces being king of kings.

Commentary

5.3 × 5.0 × 1.9 cm, format C. The tablet is part of a large group of texts purchased by the World Museum Liverpool in December 1953 from the estate of Dr. Philipp Nelson (1872-1953), a well-known antiquarian in Liverpool, who had acquired them from the collection of the late John Quinn at auction on 24th April 1951 (Brown & Brown, Liverpool, lot 15: 190 tablets from various collectors including Lord Amherst).

(8) Either kušna-áš-tuq or gadaṣu-ra-ru is to be restored in the gap.

Fig. 2: text No. 2 (WMl 51.63.126), handcopy by the author.

94 j. Hackl

No. 3: BM 82833+82835 (SH 83-9-28, 39+41)


Obv. ⸢5 ma⸣-ḫat kù.babbar šá ⸢ud⸣.[x.kam itix]mu.218.kam ina [gadaṣu-ra-ru]ina giḫal-lat šá-⸢kin⸣ [u ina da]⸢Ira⸣-ḫi-me-⸢su⸣ [pi-qid na-šá-a]

5 [4] ⸢gín kù.babbar er⸣-b[i šá gišqu-up-pu][u pa-n]a-at ⸢giš⸣[qu-up-pu]⸢šá é ud.1.kam šá⸣ [t]a [ud.x.kam]⸢šá itikin en ud.11⸣.k[am]⸢šá itiše šá mu an-nit⸣

10 ⸢pab 4 gín 5 ma-ḫat kù.babbar⸣ta ⸢lìb-bi è⸣

Lo.E. vacatRev. [2 g]ín ⸢1⸣ ma ḫi ⸢ana⸣ [ x x x ]

[Iu]-⸢rak lúgír⸣.l[á x x (x) ]1 ana lúḫalm[eš x x ]

15 ⸢1 gín ana pad⸣.ḫ[i.a]⸢Iik-si⸣-n[u-nu lúdumu šip-ri]šá nisag kur šá iti[x]re-ḫi 4-tú ḫ[i kù.babbar]ina gadaṣu-ra-r[u]

20 ina giḫal-lat šá-ki[n u ina da]Ira-ḫi-me-⸢su⸣ [pi-qid]

U.E. ⸢itiše ud.11.kam⸣⸢mu.218.kam⸣Iar-šá-ka-a [lugal.lugalmeš]

Translation(1-4) 5 māˁā of silver which (were collected) on day [... of month ...], year 218 (SE), were (packed) [in

a linen purse], put in a reed basket [and deposited with] Raḫimesu, [withdrawn](5-9) [4] shekels of silver are the income [from the cashbox and from the pan]ātu of [the cashbox] of

the Day One Temple which (was collected) between [day ...] of month VI and day 11 of month XII of this year.

(10) In total 4 shekels (and) 5 māˁā of silver.(11) Expenditures:(12-17) [2 sh]ekels, 1 māˁā (and) 1 ḥeṣi for [... of ] the butcher Urāk [...], one (shekel) for the diviners [...], one

shekel for the allowance of Iksinunu, [the messenger] of the Governor of the Land for month [...].(18) Balance:(18-21) One fourth of a shekel (and) 1 ḥeṣi [of silver] were (packed) in a linen purse, put in a reed basket

[and deposited with] Raḫimesu.

Fig. 3: text No. 3 (bM 82833+), handcopy by the author.


Commentary

4.9 × 3.7 × 2.1 cm, format D.

(1) On the various shekel fractions used in the Hellenistic period see most recently Hackl 2013a and id. in press.

(13) The same individual is also mentioned in BRM 1 99 = Spek, Raḫimesu 18: 13. 32, Iraq 43, 133 (AB 244) = Spek, Raḫimesu 23: 11. 17. 35 and No. 4: [14’].

(16) Greek Xenon. The same individual is mentioned in Iraq 43, 133 (AB 244) = Spek, Raḫimesu 23: 18, thus the restoration.

(17) For the title šakkanak māti, also attested in Iraq 43, 133 (AB 244) = Spek, Raḫimesu 23: 19, see the discussion in McEwan 1981, 135.

No. 4: BM 39310 (80-11-12, 1196)

Transcription

no place of issue, SE 5.[x.218]

Obv. [ x x x ] ⸢x⸣ ma-ḫat kù.babbar[šá ud.x.kam iti si]g mu.154.kam {x}[šá ši-i m]u.218.kam[ina gadaṣu-ra-ru] ina giḫal-lat

5 [šá-kin u ina da Ir]a°-ḫi-i-mi-e-su[pi-qid na-šá]-⸢a⸣[ x x x x ] x[ x x x x x ] lúkur-gar-rameš

[ x x x x x ] ⸢x⸣10 [ x x x x mu.2]18.⸢kam⸣Lo.E. vacat (?)Rev. [ x x x x ] ⸢x x x-a-a⸣

[x x x x ] xmeš na-din[re-ḫi x x ] 3 ma-ḫat[ina gadaṣu-ra-r]u ina giḫal-⸢lat⸣

15 [šá-kin u ina da] ⸢I°ra°-ḫi-<i-mi>-e-su pi-qid⸣[iti]⸢x⸣ ud.5.kam[mu.218.kam I]⸢ar⸣-šá-⸢ka⸣-a lugal lugalmeš

Translation

(1-6) [...] (and) ... māˁā of silver [which (were collected) on day ... of month II]I, year 154 (AE), [i.e., ye]ar 218 (SE), were (packed) [in a linen purse, put] in a reed basket [and deposited with] Raḫimesu, [with]drawn.

(7-12) (too fragmentary for translation)


96 j. Hackl

13) [Balance]:(13-15) [...] (and) 3 māˁā (of silver) were (packed) [in a linen pur]se, [put] in a reed basket [and] depos-

ited [with] Raḫimesu.(16-17) [Month] ..., day 5, [year 218 (SE)], Arsaces being king of kings.

Commentary

4.6* × 2.9* × 2.3 cm, format d.



No. 5: BM 40068 (81-2-1, 32)

Transcription

no place of issue, SE [x.x].219

Obv. [ x x x x kù.babbar š]á ud.7.kam itisig[m]u.⸢155.kam šá ši⸣-i mu.219.kam[ina] ⸢túg⸣ṣu-ra-ru ina giḫal-lat šá-kin u ina ṭaḫ⸢Ira⸣-ḫi-me-su pi-qid na-šá-a 1 2/3 ma

5 {x} ma.na kù.babbar er-bi šá gišqu-up-pi u ⸢pa⸣-na-⸢at⸣gišqu-up-pi níg.ga dza-ba4-ba4 u ⸢d⸣[n]in.lílšá ta ud.3.kam šá itisig en ud.2.kamšá itišu mu an-nit⸢1⸣ m[a.na x] ⸢gín 2⸣ ma ⸢kù.babbar er⸣-bi šá gišqu-up-pi

10 [u pa-na-at gišqu-u]p-⸢pi⸣ šá é.sa.bad[šá ta ud.x.kam šá iti]⸢x en ud.x⸣.[kam][šá itix ][...]

Rev. [...]1’ [ x x ] ⸢x x x⸣ [ x x ] ⸢x x x x⸣

⸢2 1/2 gín⸣ ana i-⸢di⸣-šú-⸢nu⸣ [šá] ⸢lúàrmeš mu-a⸣-tì⸢šá⸣ ta ki.min [en k]i.⸢min⸣ ina šuII Iki.min na-din2 gín ta ši-⸢me x⸣ šá° ta ud°.15.<kam>

5’ šá itisig ina šuII I⸢ra-ḫi⸣-me-su na-⸢din⸣⸢re!°-ḫi° 10°⸣ gín 1° ra° ina túgṣu-r[a-r]u⸢ina gi°ḫal°-lat° šá-kin u ina ṭaḫ° Ira⸣-ḫi°-me-su ⸢pi-qid⸣[itix ud.x].kam mu.155.kam[šá ši-i mu.2]19.kam Iar-šá-ka-⸢a⸣ lugal.lugalmeš

Lo.E. 1/3 ma.na ⸢2⸣ g[ín kù.babbar] ana qip-tu4 ana l[a baṭ-lu u] ana tam-ṭi-tu4 u[du.níta gi-né-e šá é ud.1.kam][ta u]d.18.kam šá <iti>gu4 {x} en u[d.18.kam šá itisig šá mu an-nit ana Iu-rak lúgír.lá na-din]

Translation(1-4) [... of silver wh]ich (were collected) on day 7 of month III, year 155 (AE), i.e., year 219 (SE),

were (packed) [in] a linen purse, put in a reed basket and deposited with Raḫimesu, withdrawn.(5-8) 100 shekels of silver are the income from the cashbox and from the panātu of the cashbox of the

property of Zababa and Ninlil which (was collected) between day 3 of month III and day 2 of month IV of this year

(9-12) 1 mi[na, n] shekels (and) 2 māˁā of silver are the income from the cashbox [and from the panātu of the cash]box of Esabad [which (was collected) between day ... of month] ... and day ... [of month ...].(the rest of the obverse and the beginning of the reverse are lost)

98 j. Hackl

(1’) (too fragmentary for translation)(2’-3’) 2.5 shekels for the wages [of ] the said millers for the same period were entrusted to the same

individual.(4’-5’) 2 shekels for the purchase of ... from day 15 of month III on were entrusted to Raḫimesu.(6’) Balance:(6’-7’) 10 shekels (and) 1 rab əˁ (of silver) were (packed) in a linen purse, put in a reed basket and de-

posited with Raḫimesu.(8’-9’) [Month ..., day ...], year 155 (AE), [i.e., year 2]19 (SE), Arsaces being king of kings.(10’-13’) 22 she[kels of silver] as an advance payment (intended to) a[void interruptions or] shortages

of the r[egular offerings of the Day One Temple between da]y 18 of month II and d[ay 18 of month III of this year were entrusted to the butcher Urāk].

Commentary

4.9* × 5.7 × 2.4 cm, format b. The indentations of the first three lines on the left edge are due to incomplete erasures (written transversely in relation to the text on the left edge).

(4) The abbreviated writing of ma.na and the erasure at the beginning of the next line suggest that the scribe added the amount of silver later, probably because of the additional entry on the left edge.

(4’) The scribe erroneously used the logogram ta to represent the preposition ana. See also CT 49 152 = Spek, Raḫimesu 9: 9 and CT 49 159 = Spek, Raḫimesu 7: r.3’. This recurring mistake may be indicative that at least these three texts were drafted by the same scribe.

(10’-13’) The restorations follow Iraq 43, 133 (AB 244) = Spek, Raḫimesu 23: 6-12. See also BRM 1 99 = Spek, Raḫimesu 18: 10-13.

No. 6: ZA 3, 147, no. 8 = BM 41521 (81-6-25, 134)

Transcription


Obv. ⸢4⸣ [ x x x x x x x ]ta [ x x ] ⸢x⸣ [ x x x x ]⸢x x⸣ [ x x ] ⸢x⸣ [ x ] ⸢x x⸣[ x x x ] ⸢x x x na⸣

5 ⸢x x⸣ [ x ] ⸢x x x x⸣[š]á ina igi šaṭ⸢ri ta⸣ [ x x x ] ⸢x x a⸣-na ḫi-šiḫ-tu4

[šá] ⸢é⸣ ḫi-⸢il-ṣu šá é⸣.s[a.bad ana Ix]-⸢x⸣ [na]-din[ x ] x x gín ⸢kù.babbar⸣ [ x x x x ]⸢é⸣ ḫi°-il-ṣ[u x x x x x x x ]

10 [p]a-na-at q[u-up-pu šá x x x ][...]



Rev. [...] vacat (space of 4 lines)

1’ itikin ud.26.kammu.155.kam šá ši-imu.219.kam Iar-šá-⸢ka⸣-[a] lugal ⸢lugalmeš⸣

Translation

(1-10) (too fragmentary for translation)(1’-4’) Month VI, day 26, year 155 (AE), i.e., year 219 (SE), Arsaces being king of kings.

Commentary5.0* × 5.0 × 2.0* cm, format C. devia-

tions from the editions in Strassmaier 1888, 134-135 and van der Spek 1998, 242-243 are not marked explicitly.

No. 7: Kessler 2000, nos. 16+14 = BM 41894+41982 (81-6-25, 514+604)

Transcription

no place of issue, SE [x].12.219

Obv. ⸢2⸣ ma.na 3 g[ín] ⸢2 ma-ḫat⸣ kù vacat (space of 3 lines) ⸢ta ud.1.kam <šá> itix⸣[x g]ín ana ba-nu-⸢ú⸣ šá ⸢é x x⸣ina šuII Id+en-kád a šá Id+en-tin-su

5 lúmuḫaldim na-din⸢1⸣ gín ana Ima-ri-iˀ-ú-⸢nu⸣⸢lú⸣šitim ana! ba-⸢nu-ú⸣ šá bi-rit! ká

Lo.E. níg.ga ⸢šá⸣ ká du-⸢de⸣-e⸢šá é.sag⸣.gíl

Rev. [re-ḫi] ⸢x⸣ gí[n 2 ma-ḫat][ina ku]š⸢na⸣-áš-tuq ina gi⸢ḫal-lat šá⸣-k[in]⸢u⸣ ina ṭaḫ Ira-ḫi-[me-s]u p[i-qid] vacat (space of 2 lines)⸢itiše⸣ [ud.x.kam]⸢mu.219.kam⸣ I⸢ar⸣-šá-kam

15 lugal lugalmeš Fig. 7: text No. 7 (bM 41894+), handcopy by the author.

100 j. Hackl

Translation(1-2) 123 sh[ekels] (and) 2 māˁā of silver (are the income from the cashbox and from the panātu of

the cashbox of the property of Zababa and Ninlil(?) which was collected) from day 1 of month ... on.

(3-5) [n sh]ekels for the building of ... were entrusted to the baker Bēl-kāṣir, son of Bēl-bullissu.(6-9) 1 shekel for the builder Mari’ūnu for the manufacturing of the ... of the treasury of the bāb dudê

of Esangila.(10) [Balance]:(10-12) ... shek[els (and) 2 māˁā] were (packed) [in a leath]er bag, put in a reed basket and dep[osited]

with Raḫimesu.(13-15) Month XII, [day ...], year 219 (SE), Arsaces being king of kings.

Commentary5.9 × 4.9 × 2.5 cm, format C. deviations from the editions in van der Spek 1998, 242-

243 and Kessler 2000, 222-223 are not marked explicitly. The text seems to be a draft giving the exact amount of silver collected but not the stereotyped phrase erbu ša quppi u panāt quppi ša ... (hence the three vacant lines at the beginning of the obverse). Also note the abbreviated writing of kù.babbar at the end of line 1. The rather large sum of silver suggests that this note records income from the cashbox of the property of Zababa and Ninlil (compare Ct 49 156 = Spek, Raḫimesu 14 and Nos. 1 and 9).

(6) Greek Mariōn. The same individual is mentioned in CT 49 154 = Spek, Raḫimesu 16: 14, CT 49 155 = Spek, Raḫimesu 15: 9 and CT 49 157 = Spek, Raḫimesu 10: 8.

(8) on the bāb dudê see boiy 2004, 83.



No. 8: BM 34201 (Sp 307)

Transcription

place of issue not preserved, [SE] 21.[x.218]

Obv. [ x gín kù.babbar er-b]i šá gišqu-up-pi[u pa-na-at gišqu-u]p-⸢pi⸣ šá é.sa.bad[šá ta ud.x.ka]m šá ⸢itix⸣ šá mu.218.⸢kam⸣[en ud.x.kam š]á ⸢itiab⸣ šá mu an-⸢nit⸣

5 [ta lì]b-⸢bi è⸣[ x x ] ⸢x x x x x⸣ Id+en-ad-ùru[ x x x ] ⸢x⸣ šá ⸢x x x ni x x⸣[šá mu].⸢218⸣.k[am][ x ] ⸢gín ana qí-re-e šá qu-up⸣-pi ⸢ku4⸣ dgašan-iá

10 ⸢x x sa x šá⸣ é ḫi-il-ṣuš[á] ⸢é⸣.sa.bad šá mu.218.kam4 gín ana pad.ḫi.a ana mi-in-⸢du⸣lúazlag šá mu.218.kam

Lo.E. 2 gín ana túgpi-iš-ṭu15 ⸢ana lúur.munus⸣ šá mu.218.kam

⸢2 gín⸣ ana ši-me 2 dan-nu geštinRev. ana ma-aq-qí-tu4 šá é.sa.bad

šá itigan u itiab šá mu an-nit[ina šu]II Idšú-mu-mu lúmuḫaldim ana lútu5

meš

20 [šá é].⸢sa⸣.bad na-din[ x gín ana] ⸢ḫi⸣-šiḫ-tu4 šá é ḫi-il-ṣu[šá é ud.1.kam šá] itizíz ana Idšú-mu-⸢mu⸣[u Idšú-numun-dù l]úku4.émeš

[šá é ḫi-il-ṣu] ⸢šá⸣ é.sa.bad na-din25 [ x x x x na]-⸢ṣa⸣-ri šá bára

[ x x x x x su]l-man! (T.: KA)-na-a-tú[ta é ḫi-il-ṣu-ša] ⸢é⸣.sa.bad[a-na Idšú-mu-mul]úmuḫaldim na-din[ x x x x x ud.x.k]am šá itiab

U.E. [ x x x x x x] ⸢x⸣[ x x x x itix ud].⸢21⸣.kam[mu.219.kam Iar-šá-kam lugal luga]lmeš

[ ] {x x}

102 j. Hackl

Translation(1-4) [n shekels of silver are the inco]me from the cashbox [and from the panātu of the cash]box

of Esabad [which (was collected) between day ...] of month ..., year 218 (SE) [and day ... o]f month X of this year.

(5) [Exp]enditures:(6-8) (too fragmentary for translation)(9-20) [n] shekels for the bitumen of the cashbox of the Entry of Bēltia ... the bit ḫilṣi of Esabad of year

218 (SE), 4 shekels for the (annually) calculated allowance of the launderers for year 218 (SE), 2 shekels for the pišṭu garments of the assinnu for year 218 (SE) (and) 2 shekels for the purchase of 12 vats of wine for the libations of Esabad for months IX and X of this year were entrusted [to] the baker Marduk-šumu-iddin for the temple personnel performing the cultic duties and services [of E]sabad.

(21-28) [n shekels] were entrusted to Marduk-šumu-iddin [and Marduk-zēru-ibni], the ‘temple enterers’ [of the bit ḫilṣi of Esabad, for] the necessary supplies of the bit ḫilṣi [of the Day One Temple for] month XI. [...] ... [... the gif ]ts [from the bit ḫilṣi of Esabad were entrusted [to] the baker [Marduk-šumu-iddin].

(29-30) (too fragmentary for translation)(31-32) [... Month ..., day] 21, [year 219 (SE), Arsaces being king of kin]gs.

Commentary5.7 × 4.9 × 2.2 cm, format C.(9) The reading of the heavily damaged signs is corroborated by the close parallel found in CT

49 153 = Spek, Raḫimesu 8: 11.(14) Or read ⸢túg⸣pi-iš-ṭu? The term pišṭu remains unclear; possibly a pirs form of pašāṭu ‘to

efface, to erase’ (AHw 844a pašāṭu and CAD P 249b pašāṭu, implying smoothening of the surface) in the meaning ‘(garment made of ) straightened wool’ (suggestion M. Krebernik). The sign TU excludes a reading pišṭu for Hebrew *pišt ‘flax, linen’, unless one assumes that the scribe used the sign for the value tux.



(15) On the assinnu in general see Parpola 1997, xcii119 and xcvi138 with further references. In the Raḫimesu archive, they are also mentioned in BRM 1 99 = Spek, Raḫimesu 18: 37.

(21-22) The restorations follow CT 49 156 = Spek, Raḫimesu 14: 7-8.(23) Marduk-zēru-ibni is mentioned together with Marduk-šumu-iddin in CT 49 161 = Spek,

Raḫimesu 27: 6 and Iraq 43, 139 (AB 245) = Spek, Raḫimesu 26: 6-7, thus the restoration.(26-28) The restorations follow Iraq 43, 139 (AB 245) = Spek, Raḫimesu 26: 4-6.

No. 9: BM 36276 (80-1-26, 1)

Transcription

no place of issue, [SE x.x.218]

Obv. 10 m[a.na] ⸢6 1/2 gí[n kù.babb]ar e[r-bi šá gišqu-up-pu]u pa-⸢na⸣-[a]t gišqu-⸢up-pu⸣ šá níg.g[a dza-ba4-ba4 u dnin.líl]šá ta ud.3.kam šá iti⸢ne mu.2[18.kam en ud.x.kam]šá itikin šá mu.an.na an-ni[t ta lìb-bi è]

5 pab 2° 1/2 6 ⸢gín⸣ 2 ma kù.babbar ⸢x⸣ [ x x x x (x) ]4 1/2 gín ⸢2⸣ ma-ḫat ⸢x⸣ ra ana lúàr.à[rmeš ina mi-in-di-šú-nu]šá ta ud.⸢7?.kam⸣ [šá] iti⸢kin⸣ mu.2[18.kam en ud.x.kam]šá itidu6 ⸢šá mu an⸣-[ni]t ina šuII Id+a[g-mu-gin lúumbisag šá lúàr.àrmeš na-din]2 1/2 ⸢gín ana i-di⸣-šú-n[u] ⸢šá⸣ lúàr.⸢àr⸣meš [mu-a-tì ina šuII ki.min na-din]

10 1 1/2 gín ⸢ana⸣ [lúlùngameš] ⸢lútu5⸣meš šá t[a ud.x.kam šá itix]⸢en ud⸣.[x.kam šá itix ina šuII I]⸢dšú⸣-[m]u-mu lúlún[ga na-din][1 1/2 gín ana lag mun.ḫi.a u gišḫu-ṣab šá t]a ki.[min en ki.min][ x x x x x x x x x x ] ⸢x x⸣ [ x x x][...]

Rev. [...]1’ [ x ] ⸢gín⸣ 2 ⸢ma-ḫat 1⸣ r[a? ana ši-me x dan-numeš geštin]

[ana] ma-aq-qí-tu4 šá k[áme]š š[á é.sag.gil ina dan-numeš]⸢šá⸣-nu-tú šá ta ud.⸢x⸣.[ka]m šá itin[e en ud.x.kam]šá itikin šá ⸢mu⸣.[x.kam ina š]uII Il[ib-luṭ lúx]

5’ a šá Id+ag-⸢x-x⸣-[x n]a-din[x]+⸢4 gín⸣ ana síkḫu-ṣa-⸢na⸣-a-tú ana U[D x šá ta ud.x.kam][šá itix en ud.x]+3.kam šá iti⸢du6⸣ ana Ikar-⸢d+x⸣ [lúx x ][a šá] ⸢I⸣d+ag-mu-na na-din[ x x x ana] ⸢ì⸣.giš šá duga.gùb.b[a x x x x ]

10’ [Idšú-m]u-mu lúlúnga šá [ud.x.kam šá itix ][en ud.x.kam it]i⸢x na-din⸣[...]

Lo.E. [ x x x x x x x x ] ⸢x ki šá x⸣ [ x x x ][ x x x x x Iba]-šá-⸢a⸣ lúdumu šip°-ri°⸢meš⸣ [ x x ][ x x x x x ] ⸢gín⸣ kù.babbar šá ta ud.23.kam šá it[ix ][en ud.x.kam šá iti]⸢x⸣ šá mu.218.kam ana Ilib-⸢luṭ⸣

104 j. Hackl

Translation

(1-4) 606.5 shekels of [silve]r are the in[come from the cashbox] and from the panātu of the cashbox of the property of [Zababa and Ninlil] which (was collected) between day 3 of month V, year 21[8 and day ... of ] month VI of this year.

(4) [Expenditures]:(5) In total 156 shekels (and) 2 māˁā of silver [...].(6-8) 4.5 shekels, 2 māˁā (and) ... rab əˁ for the millers [from their (annually) calculated allowances]

for the period day 7? of month VI, year 2[18 to day ...] of month VII of this year [were entrust-ed] to Na[bû-šumu-ukīn, the scribe of the millers].

(9) 2.5 shekels for the wages of the [said] millers [were entrusted to the same individual].(10-11) 1.5 shekels for the [brewers] (belonging to) the temple personnel performing the cultic duties

and services, for the period [day ... of month ...] to day [... of month ... were entrusted to] the brewer Marduk-šumu-iddin.

(12) [1.5 shekel for lumps of salt and firewood for the sam]e [period ...].(the rest of the obverse and the beginning of the reverse are lost)

(1’-5’) [n] shekels, 2 māˁā (and) 1 ra[b əˁ for the purchase of n vats of wine for] the libations of the ga[tes of Esangila (used) during the sec]ond [libations] (of the day) for the period day ... of month V [to day ...] of month VI, year [...] (SE) were entrusted [to the ...] Li[bluṭ], son of Nabû-...

(6’-8’) [n]+4 shekels for woollen sashes for [... for the period day ... of month VI to day x]+3 of month VII were entrusted to [the ...] Mušēzib-..., [son of ] Nabû-ittannu.

(9’-11’) [... shekels for] oil for the holy water basi[n ...] were entrusted to the brewer [Marduk-šu]mu-id-din for the period [day ... of month ... to day ...] of month ...(the rest of the reverse is lost)

(Lo.E.) (first two lines too fragmentary for translation)(3’-4’) [n] shekels of silver for the period day 23 of month [... to day ... of month] ..., year 218 (were

entrusted to) Libluṭ.

Commentary

6.1* × 6.2* × 3.1* cm, format A.

(6-12) With the exception of the name of the scribe, the restorations follow CT 49 150 = Spek, Raḫimesu 13: 8-15. The former is restored on the basis of CT 49 158 = Spek, Raḫimesu 11: 9.

(11) The same individual is also mentioned in BRM 1 99 = Spek, Raḫimesu 18: 16. 18. 36. 38. 40. 41. 42. 43. 44, CT 49 150 = Spek, Raḫimesu 13: 14. 16. 57 and Iraq 43, 133 (AB 244) = Spek, Raḫimesu 23: 28.

(1’-2’) The restorations follow CT 49 150 = Spek, Raḫimesu 13: 32-33.(4’) Could this be the same individual mentioned in CT 49 158 = Spek, Raḫimesu 11: 15?(9’) A close parallel can be found in YOS 6 75 (Nbn 7.2.2), an inventory of herbs etc. belonging

to the Eanna archive, which mentions aromatics for the holy water basin.


No. 10: BM 39235 (80-11-12, 1121)

Transcription

place of issue not preserved, [SE x.x.218/219?]

Obv. ⸢1/2⸣ ma.⸢na⸣ 7 gín ⸢kù⸣.babbar e[r-bi]⸢šá⸣ giš⸢qu⸣-up-⸢pu⸣ u pa-na-a[t gišqu-up-pi]⸢šá é⸣.sa.bad šá ta ⸢ud⸣.[x.kam]šá itibar ⸢en⸣ ud.12+[x.kam šá itix ]

5 ⸢mu⸣.21[8/9. kam x x x x ][ x ] ⸢x x⸣ [ x x x x x x ][...]

Rev. [...] vacat (space of 4 lines)

Translation(1-5) 37 shekels of silver are the in[come] from the cashbox and from the panātu of the [cashbox]

of Esabad which (was collected) between day [...] of month I and day ... [of month ...] of year 21[8/9].(the rest of the obverse is lost)

Commentary2.4* × 3.6* × 2.0 cm, format d.

No. 11: Rm 1000

Transcription

~ SE 221

Obv. itiše ud.9.kam [ x x x x ] ina 10-ú gišqup-pu ⸢x⸣ [ x x x x ] ⸢x⸣ 10 si-pirmeš ⸢u 8⸣ šip-[re-ti x x x x ] šá itibar mu.221.kam ⸢x⸣ [ x x x x x x x ]

5 [ud.x.ka]m ⸢iti⸣gan x šá [ x x x x x x x ][...]

Commentary3.8* × 4.8* × 1.8* cm, upper left quarter of a lid with a rounded edge. The tablet has no

bM/big number assigned.

(2) If correctly read, this is the first mention of tithe (Akk. ešrû or rather ušrû at this time) in the archive.

(3) Read mu!.1 at the beginning? The term sipru refers to a non-cuneiform document (as opposed to šipirtu) apparently written in Aramaic or Greek.


Fig. 11: text No. 11 (rm 1000), handcopy by the author.

106 j. Hackl

bibliography

Altavilla, S. / C.b.F. Walker 2016: Late Babylonian Seal Impressions on Tablets in the British Museum, Part 2: Babylon and its Vicinity. Messina.

boiy, t. 2004: Late Achaemenid and Hellenistic Babylon (OLA 136). Leiden.

Hackl, j. 2013: Materialien zur Urkundenlehre und Archivkunde der spätzeitlichen Texte aus Nordbabylonien. (2 vols.). Unpublished Phd thesis, University of vienna.

— 2013a: on the etymology of shekel fractions in the Hellenistic period. N.A.b.U 2013/33.

— in press: An Old Iranian loanword for a subdivision of the shekel from Late Achaemenid Uruk. N.A.B.U.

jursa, M. 2005: Neo-Babylonian Legal and Administrative Documents: Typology, Contents and Archives (GMTR 1). Münster.

— 2010: Aspects of the Economic History of Babylonia in the First Millennium BC. Economic Geography, Economic Mentalities, Agriculture, the Use of Money and the Problem of Economic Growth. With contributions by J. Hackl, B. Janković, K. Kleber, E.E. Payne, C. Waerzeggers and M. Weszeli. (AoAt 377 – veröffentlichungen zur Wirtschaftsgeschichte babyloniens im 1. jahrtausend v. Chr., bd. 4). Münster.

Kessler, K. 2000: Hellenistische tempel-verwaltungstexte. eine Nachlese zu Ct 49. In j. Marzahn/H. Neumann (eds.), Assyriologica et Semitica. Festschrift für

Joachim Oelsner anläßlich seines 65. Geburtstages am 18. Februar 1997. (AoAt 252), pp. 213-241.

leichty, e. 1986: Catalogue of the Babylonian Tablets in the British Museum, Vol. VI: Tablets from Sippar 1. With an introduction by J.E. Reade. london.

Macginnis, j. 2002: The use of writing boards in the Neo-babylonian temple administration at Sippar. Iraq 64, pp. 217-236.

Mcewan, g.j.P. 1981: Arsacid temple records. Iraq 43, pp. 131-143.

Parpola, S. 1997: Assyrian Prophecies (SAA 9). Helsinki.

Spek, r.j. van der 1993: The Astronomical diaries as a source for Achaemenid and Seleucid history. BiOr 50, pp. 91-101.

— 1998: Cuneiform documents on Parthian history: The Raḫimesu archive. Materials for the study of the standard of living. In: j. Wiesehöfer (ed.), Das Partherreich und seine Zeugnisse. Stuttgart, pp. 205-258.

Strassmaier, j.N. 1888: Arsaciden-Inschriften. ZA 3, pp. 129-158.

Walker, C.b.F. / d. Collon 1980: Hormuzd rassam’s excavations for the british Museum at Sippar in 1881-1882. In: l. de Meyer (ed.), Tell ed-Dēr. Sounding at Abū Ḥabbah (Sippar). leuven, pp. 93-114.

Waerzeggers, C. 2010: The Ezida temple of Borsippa. Priesthood, Cult, Archives (Achaemenid History 15). leiden.

2016 New Additions to the Rahimesu Archive: Parthian Texts from the British Museum and the World...

Documents

Transcript of 2016 New Additions to the Rahimesu Archive: Parthian Texts from the British Museum and the World...