Chapter V: A. Th. denotes a text in the Berlin Museum (14)

(M849) Occasionally a letter serves to make a contribution to some subject which is of interest apart from the events of the day. Thus, information is furnished regarding metrology in a letter primarily concerned with materials for the repair of a temple or palace.(946) There we read of “six articles of _mismakanna_ wood, six _ḲA_ apiece, one cubit long and one cubit thick.” The thickness is clearly a cubit each way, and we learn that a cubit cube contained six _ḲA_. There are many letters and fragments which concern beams of wood and stones sent from great distances for buildings and repairs. When these are all published and considered together, no doubt they will clear up the difficulties which at present render translation impossible.

(M850) A fragmentary report—it may have been a letter—gives a diary of a journey. If we could complete it, or find a few more like it, we should have a knowledge of geography such as we have not for any other part of the world for early times.(947) We may summarize it as follows: On the sixth, the writer went from Bagarri to Sarî, from Sarî to Arzuḫina, from Arzuḫina to Tel-Arzuḫina. He stated the distances from city to city, but these are now lost. This was the first journey. The second journey was from Tel-Arzuḫina to Dûr-sisite. The third journey was from Dûr-sisite to Maturaba, from Maturaba to Dûr-Taliti. The fourth journey was from Dûr-Taliti to Babiti, from Babiti to Lagabgalagi. The fifth journey was from Lagabgalagi to the river Radânu, thence to Asri. The sixth journey was from Asri to Arrakdi. The seventh journey was from Ḥualsundi to Napigi, thence to Dûr-Ashur. Here we get the whole distance from Arrakdi to Dûr-Ashur as _two kaspu, twenty-four uš, twenty-four u_. The identification of these places would be of enormous value for a determination of the Assyrian measures of length. The distances are correct to the cubit. The eighth journey was from Dûr-Ashur to Tarzini, thence to Banbala. The ninth journey was from Banbala to Ishdi-dagurrai, thence to Gupni-Bêl-Ḥarrân, _one kaspu, five uš, fifty-four u_. The tenth journey was from Gupni-Bêl-Ḥarrân to Dûr-Adadi-rîmâni, thence to Dûr-Tukulti-apil-esharra, on the seventeenth. Several of these places are already known. Others may be identified with some certainty. The whole would have a great value if preserved complete.

X. Letters Of The Second Babylonian Empire

(M851) Some Babylonian letters of the Second Empire are to be found in the great collections published by Strassmaier. For the most part they are of a business nature, asking for some payment to be made or some object sent on.

Thus,(948) one reads:

(M852)

Note from Nabû-shum-lîshir to Bêl-uballiṭ and Ki ... my brothers.
Bêl and Nabû decree the well-being of my brothers. Two _GUR_ of
dates to Bêl-nâṣir, two _GUR_ to Shamash-pir’-uṣur, from the store
for seed let my brothers give. Adar the ninth, year eleven,
Nabonidus, King of Babylon.

Or,(949)

(M853)

Note from Shamash-erba to Ḥâr-ibnî, my brother: When I send
Shamash-uballiṭ to thy presence, do thou send ninety _ḲA_ of meal
by his hand. Verily thou knowest. Besides the twelve _ḲA_ of meal
before is this. Adar the thirteenth.

A somewhat longer but imperfect letter(950) reads:

(M854)

Note of Nadinu to the priest of Sippara, my brother: Verily, peace
be with thee. To my brother, may Bêl and Nabû decree the
well-being of my brother. When to my brother I [send], to the
presence of my lord.... Thou, my lord, knowest why seeds for the
_kêpu_ of Raḫza I sent, and money for the seeds I gave him. He
received it. Let me hear news and the welfare of my brother.

Of some interest for the nature of public works is:(951)

Note from Shâpik-zêr to Ḥâr-ibnî, my brother: The gods decree thy
well-being. Give ninety-six _ḲA_ of meal to the men who are
digging the canal. Kislîmnu, the twentieth, fifth year, Cyrus,
King of Babylon, king of lands.

Or this:(952)

(M855)

Note from the priests to Ḥâr-ibnî, our brother: The gods decree
thy welfare. Give thirty-six _ḲA_ of meal to Ardi-Ḥâr, for the
king’s men who dig the canal. Kislîmnu the twenty-fifth, year
five, Cyrus, King of Babylon, king of lands.

The following is another of the best-preserved letters of this period:(953)

(M856)

Note from Nêrgal-aḫ-iddin to Iddin-Marduk, my father: Bêl and Nabû
decree the health and well-being of my father. Concerning the
money my father sent; the money is little, which has been given
for dates. Two minas of silver is needed. Let my father send it.
Concerning that (?), as it is good to thee. I have none. See,
Nabû-mattûa I have sent to my father. The governor has gone to
Babylon. As long as he is not here (?) at his side, he demands.
Let me hear news of my father. Whether it be corn or whether it be
anything that is with me, I will give to my father. Thy word is
indisputable with me.

(M857) For the most part the others are fragmentary and of no special interest. It is noteworthy that they all begin with much the same form of greeting.

Dr. T. G. Pinches published the text of three letters of this period in _Recueil des Travaux_.(954) Two are very fragmentary; the third reads thus:

Note from Suḳâ to Bêl-zêr-ibnî, my father: May Bêl and Nabû decree
health and wealth to my father. Now I am going without the ass.
Give the ass to Shamash-eṭir; let him send it. Give him the
clothes (?).

Here is an interesting letter:(955)

Note from Daian-bêl-uṣur to Shirḳu, my lord: Every day I pray to
Bêl and Nabû for the health of my lord’s life. Concerning the
lambs, which my lord sent, Bêl and Nabû know that there is a lamb
from before thee. I have set the crop and fixed the stable. I have
seen thy servant with the sheep; send thy servant with the lambs,
and direct that one lamb from among them be offered as a gift to
Nabû. I have not turned so much as one sheep into money. On the
twentieth I worked [or sacrificed] for Shamash. I saw fifty-six.
From his hands I sent twenty head to my lord. The garlic which the
governor received from my lord, the owners of the field, when they
came, took possession of; the governor of fields sold it for
money. I am deprived of the yoke of the harrow (?). As to what my
lord said to me, saying, “Wherefore hast thou not sent a messenger
and measured out the crop?” Forthwith (?) I will send to thee, let
a messenger of thy appointing (?) take it and keep it.

Several words in this text are not found elsewhere, but very strangely we know much about the persons. Shirḳu, whose other name was Marduk-nâṣir-aplu, son of Iddinâ, was of the important commercial house of Egibi, and lived in the reign of Darius. He was a great ship-owner, and had the tolls of a certain bridge. He travelled to Elam in the fifth year of Darius. A great many of his business transactions are detailed by Dr. Pinches.(956) Daian-bêl-uṣur and his wife Nanâ-bêl-uṣri were slaves of Shirḳu, who pledged them with their six children, at one time. In the sixteenth year of Darius their master gave them as part of her dowry, to Amat-Bau, daughter of Kalbâ. They lived in the town of Suppatum.

The reader has now before him a few specimens of this extremely valuable but very obscure class of literature. As time and study avail to clear up the obscurities, much more will be learned of the life and customs of these ancient peoples. Enough may have been given to stimulate research, and interest a wider circle of readers. It is the writer’s hope that many may be led, even by these scattered and disjointed specimens, to undertake such studies as may render more perfect his slight contribution and rescue from oblivion the heroes of a bygone civilization.