Daily Kennebec journal., 1911-04-18
CITY OF e. c. 200O.
Old Clay Records Relate Every Day
Affairs in Dilbat, Babylon.

n CoIEbSICButIAl t'i tIl' 11lftlhNihI -
gives some interesting details OF =
cuneform written tablet recently dis
covered at the ancient Town Of Oil
bat near Babylon. The tablets tell
in graphic manner the story Of the
citizens. their business transactions.
disputes and everyday ll'.
They are not the usual royal ediCts
and records, but what may best BE-
termed family archives. They relate
to a very early period, being mostly
dated III the reigns of the predecessors
of that mighty monarch Hammurabi
wha coGified the Babylonan laws, and
SO were composed at the period of tile
first BahyIonian dynasty.
From these newly found tablets and
reviously Geciphcred references in
the records OF Babylon We now i-noH
that Dilbat was j small Babylon town
on that great masterpiece Of Mosupo
tomian engineering, tn" ArdhtU Canal
THE canal" says the corrrspolId
ent, must have kept near tu the
great river Euphrates. for il washed
the southern face of Pdbyion's ram
parts and upon it opened CHE Of the
great city'S gates dedic2ted to the
god Uras. 1t led away sputiWard to
Dilhat. which, as the new ly found re-
cords inform us, was built between the
canal and the Euphrates for some OF
the tablets refer to pieces of property
in land or houses, described as within
the city or its suburbs. as bounded
by the river, and others by tho canal
As the present natives Of the district
will not reveal the siLe rf their find
precisely where Dilhat stood.
Tho Arahtu Canal not only watered
the soil and so produced the crops. but
carried upon it's surface the harNosts
it Lad created Thus an old text SAYS
II MAS the 'bringQr OF lii" t. Baby
lon Dilbat WAS probably the Erttt
southern sraHary for tn capital for
Hammurabi, il his long autobiogra-
phical panegyrc, beasts that he 'eN-
tended the plantations Of Lilhat and
accumulated corn tor lp.~
''Whcn the Arahtu was first con-
structed it would be- difflrult to 4ay,
bat its benefits to their people caused
the Kings always to keep il in repair,
and vice versa, invaders of Baby lonia
in var time damaged il as q prcimn-
AIRY to starving out the capital
The special Deity of Dilbat was Ip,
probably shortened form Of Nimip.
and his tempt, WAS called Inbi Auum.
Proclaimed of Anu There was q
city wall coeVal with the foundation
Of the city, and restored by King
&umu a bu. predecessor of IIamnur-
ahi. The town appears to have pos
scssod threo harbors or docks and
market. and one can imagine the busy
bum of commerce upon its streets and
WharVes
The documents rescued from its
ruins almost all concern the sale or
renting of houses and lands and fields
or the hire and purchase of cattle and
crops. Dilbat being the centre of Il
rich agricultural district. The terms
employed are common to all Baby
lonian cities The ground and the
houses are clearly defined Ly the emu
meration of neighboring properties
and the names OF their proprietors.
Frequently the boundary is a
street a canal. a pond or harbor
Then, in cases of real estate, follows 4
statement of value. the names of ven
der and purchaser. and at tn. end OF
the bargain, the deed discloseS comes
the oath sworn before the god of the
city in the temple and also an invoca-
tion Of the reigning King. The Dill
bat scribcs also added clause placing
the onus Of any subsequent dispute of
the deed upon :hn seller. For all the
contests concerning the property CA.
b is responsible Finally follows
the names of the witnesses, and often
also the scribe of the tablet, and gem
orally several signets of the persons
concerned.
Legally the vender should always
seal the tablet, but if he has not a
signet. then some or all of the wit
nesses applied theirs Properly speak
ing. also. the tablets should have been
in duplicate. The first was inscribed
and baked and copied then a cover of
soft clay placed over or around II
and the document re angrossed upon
this cover from the COPY. so that it
could be- referred to ut any time by
paying the required fee ut the record
office.
In case Of a dispute as to its ac
curacy for an extra sunI~xfbe outer