Old Babylonian Legal and Administrative Texts from Philadelphia.

• Author: Veenker, Ronald A.

Many thanks are due Karel van Lerberghe, the editor of this excellent collection of OB "Sippar" texts from Abu-Habbah and Tell ed-Der. Several groups of texts in the book call for special attention and have been singled out by the editor in the introduction. For example, there are three documents which deal with the "rental of the journey of the divine weapon" (see R. Harris, AS 16: 217-24 and A. Finet, Akkadica 21: 1-13).

A second group consists of eight tablets classified "Quasi-Hullentafeln," i.e., late OB documents whose seal impressions completely encircle the tablet (see Claus Wilcke's detailed study of sealing: "Zwei spat-altbabylonische Kaufvertrage aus Kis (Exkurs B)" in Zikir Sumim [Leiden, 1982], 450-83). These texts (nos. 17, 37, 64, 71, 73, 77, 78), as well as no. 63, are related to a group of documents from the archive of Ur-Utu from Tell ed-Der which are also of the style Quasi-Hullentafeln."

Three tablets, one dated to year 30 of Samsuiluna, yield more information on the role of Kassites in OB society. In his catalogue, van Lerberghe suggests that no. 20 mentions "offerings" to Kassite kings. From the content and style of this administrative document, the reviewer suggests [sa.dug.sub.4] (= sattukku) and suk (= kurummatu) to be understood as food portion/allotment' rather than `offering'.

In all, the volume contains 101 OB tablets of varying content. In addition to those singled out above, there are seven sales (real estate, slaves, fields, a donkey); thirty-three administrative texts, including some lists, which deal with commodities (barley, dates, silver, reeds, etc.) and laborers; nine which van Lerberghe calls "memos"; seven receipts; three deliveries (no. 18 mentions a dozen or so commodities all valued in silver); seven contracts (feedlots, harvesters, servants); two litigations; several field rentals (erresutu), five dealing with barley and three dealing with date cultivation; and perhaps a letter. (Incidentally, nos. 34 and 35 are Iltani texts.)

Although the catalogue for no. 7 indicates a transaction involving "strings of red garlic,"sum.hus sar could very well refer to "red onions" (see M. Stol, Bulletin on Sumerian Agriculture 3 [Cambridge, 1987]: 61). Also of interest are no. 18:col.C:16 which gives the current value of gold in silver (1 gin ku-ge ku-bi 5 gin) and no. 21 which contains a lengthy exemplar of Abiesuh year "h":

14'. mu a-bi-e-su-uh lugal-e

15'. e-kis-nu-gal e sa-ge pad-da [nannar-kam.sup.d]

16'...