Babylonians and Assyrians, Life and Customs by Archibald Henry Sayce (animal farm read TXT) 📖
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padânu ) or "acre." The latter was called bur-gan in Sumerian, or "10 acres," to distinguish it from a smaller acre, which contained only 180 sar .
Time was reckoned by the kasbu or "double hour," and in early times the weight was divided into three watches of 2 kasbus or 4 hours each. The months were originally lunar, and consisted of 30 days, an intercalary
month being inserted in the calendar every six years. The zodiac was divided into 360 degrees.
Mathematics were based upon a sexagesimal system, sixty, called the soss , being the unit. The ner was equivalent to 10 sosses and the sar to 6 ners .
FOOTNOTES
1 Researches in Assyria, Babylonia, and Chaldea
(1838), p. 131 sqq.
2 In certain cases the wife seems to have had the
power of claiming alimony from her husband, though we do not know what were the circumstances which were held sufficient to justify the claim. Thus, in the third year of Nabonidos, "Nahid-Merodach, the son of Samas-baladhu-iqbi, voluntarily granted his wife Ramûa and his son Arad-Bunene four qas of food and three qas of beer daily, as well as fifteen manehs of wool, one pi of sesame, one pi of salt, and sixty qas of sweetmeats each year," with the provision that the grant should never be cancelled or willed away. The son, however, is included in the gift, and it is possible, therefore, that Ramûa was little more than a concubine.
3 A similar case, in which, however, it is a testatrix who hands over her property to her son during her lifetime, is recorded in a deed dated at Babylon the 10th day of Sivân, in the second year of Nabonidos. The deed is as follows: "Gugûa, the daughter of Zakir, the son of a native of Isin, has voluntarily sealed and delivered to her eldest son, Ea-zir-ibni, her dowry, consisting of one maneh which is in the keeping of Nebo-akhi-iddin, the son of Sula, the son of Egibi; 35 shekels which have been mortgaged to Tabnea, the son of Nebo-yusallim, the son of Sin-sadunu, and 20 shekels which are due from Tasmetum-ramat, the daughter of Arad-Bel, the son of Egibi, as well as a field producing 48 qas of seed on the canal of Kish. As regards the maneh and 56 shekels belonging to Gugûa, which, in the absence of her eldest son, Ea-zir-ibni, she has divided between her younger sons, Nebo-akhi-bullidh, Nergal-ina-esi-edher, Itti-Samas-baladhu, and Ninip-pir- utsur , Ea-zir-ibni shall have no claim to them. Gugûa has delivered to Ea-zir-ibni, her eldest son, one maneh, now in the hands of Nebo-akhi-iddin, 55 shekels in the hands of Tabnea, 50 shekels in the hands of Tasmetum-ramat, and a field bearing 48 qas of seed. As long as Gugûa lives, Ea-zir-ibni shall give his mother Gugûa, as interest upon the property, food and clothing. Gugûa shall alienate none of it out of affection or will it away. Ea-zir-ibni shall not be disturbed in his possession." The names of three witnesses are attached to the deed, which was "sealed in the presence of Babâ, the daughter of Nebo-zir-lisir, the son of Egibi."
4 Journal of the American Oriental Society, xviii., p. 167.
5 We hear, however, of a "little girl of six years of age" being sold for 17 shekels in the thirteenth year of Nabonidos, but she was doubtless an orphan.
6 Xxiii. 14.
7 See above, p. 23 f.
8 Schliemann, Ilios, pp. 471, 472. Mr. Head shows that the maneh in question is identical with the Babylonian silver maneh of 8,656 grains troy, or 561 grammes, though the latter is now more usually fixed at 546 grammes.
9 In the Assyrian texts the term for "prison" is bit kili , of which kisukku is also given as a synonym.
10 Our learned author has been misled in this paragraph by the utterly erroneous copy and translation of Father Scheil. The letter reads "To Sin-iddinnam from Hammurabi. The goddesses of Emutbalim which are assigned to thee, the troops under the command of Tnuhsamar will bring to thee in safety. When they reach thee, with the troops which thou hast destroy the people, and the goddesses to their dwellings let them bring in safety." - CR. Imprint
Time was reckoned by the kasbu or "double hour," and in early times the weight was divided into three watches of 2 kasbus or 4 hours each. The months were originally lunar, and consisted of 30 days, an intercalary
month being inserted in the calendar every six years. The zodiac was divided into 360 degrees.
Mathematics were based upon a sexagesimal system, sixty, called the soss , being the unit. The ner was equivalent to 10 sosses and the sar to 6 ners .
FOOTNOTES
1 Researches in Assyria, Babylonia, and Chaldea
(1838), p. 131 sqq.
2 In certain cases the wife seems to have had the
power of claiming alimony from her husband, though we do not know what were the circumstances which were held sufficient to justify the claim. Thus, in the third year of Nabonidos, "Nahid-Merodach, the son of Samas-baladhu-iqbi, voluntarily granted his wife Ramûa and his son Arad-Bunene four qas of food and three qas of beer daily, as well as fifteen manehs of wool, one pi of sesame, one pi of salt, and sixty qas of sweetmeats each year," with the provision that the grant should never be cancelled or willed away. The son, however, is included in the gift, and it is possible, therefore, that Ramûa was little more than a concubine.
3 A similar case, in which, however, it is a testatrix who hands over her property to her son during her lifetime, is recorded in a deed dated at Babylon the 10th day of Sivân, in the second year of Nabonidos. The deed is as follows: "Gugûa, the daughter of Zakir, the son of a native of Isin, has voluntarily sealed and delivered to her eldest son, Ea-zir-ibni, her dowry, consisting of one maneh which is in the keeping of Nebo-akhi-iddin, the son of Sula, the son of Egibi; 35 shekels which have been mortgaged to Tabnea, the son of Nebo-yusallim, the son of Sin-sadunu, and 20 shekels which are due from Tasmetum-ramat, the daughter of Arad-Bel, the son of Egibi, as well as a field producing 48 qas of seed on the canal of Kish. As regards the maneh and 56 shekels belonging to Gugûa, which, in the absence of her eldest son, Ea-zir-ibni, she has divided between her younger sons, Nebo-akhi-bullidh, Nergal-ina-esi-edher, Itti-Samas-baladhu, and Ninip-pir- utsur , Ea-zir-ibni shall have no claim to them. Gugûa has delivered to Ea-zir-ibni, her eldest son, one maneh, now in the hands of Nebo-akhi-iddin, 55 shekels in the hands of Tabnea, 50 shekels in the hands of Tasmetum-ramat, and a field bearing 48 qas of seed. As long as Gugûa lives, Ea-zir-ibni shall give his mother Gugûa, as interest upon the property, food and clothing. Gugûa shall alienate none of it out of affection or will it away. Ea-zir-ibni shall not be disturbed in his possession." The names of three witnesses are attached to the deed, which was "sealed in the presence of Babâ, the daughter of Nebo-zir-lisir, the son of Egibi."
4 Journal of the American Oriental Society, xviii., p. 167.
5 We hear, however, of a "little girl of six years of age" being sold for 17 shekels in the thirteenth year of Nabonidos, but she was doubtless an orphan.
6 Xxiii. 14.
7 See above, p. 23 f.
8 Schliemann, Ilios, pp. 471, 472. Mr. Head shows that the maneh in question is identical with the Babylonian silver maneh of 8,656 grains troy, or 561 grammes, though the latter is now more usually fixed at 546 grammes.
9 In the Assyrian texts the term for "prison" is bit kili , of which kisukku is also given as a synonym.
10 Our learned author has been misled in this paragraph by the utterly erroneous copy and translation of Father Scheil. The letter reads "To Sin-iddinnam from Hammurabi. The goddesses of Emutbalim which are assigned to thee, the troops under the command of Tnuhsamar will bring to thee in safety. When they reach thee, with the troops which thou hast destroy the people, and the goddesses to their dwellings let them bring in safety." - CR. Imprint
Publication Date: 05-21-2008
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