Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1913-03-13

Lutheran Theological Seminary, Chi
cago. in their book, Business Docu-
ments of Marashu Sons published
BY the University of Pennsylvania,
from which these facts are taken.
AT the end of May. 1898" writes
Professor Hilpreeht, while occupied
with the exploration of the central
part of the north western ridge of the
ruins of Nippur. the Baby1onian eXpe-
dition Of the University of Pennsyl-
vania discovered Il room (5.5X2 Is me
tres WiGe1 about six metres below the
surface. Its ceiling had collapsed
long ago, fts@sidc walls, for the great
er part. were, in ruins. and the clay
floor was covered with earth and rub
bish from above. y gang of trained
Affej Workmen was ordered to remove
the debris that filled the room. when
suddenly they noticed numerous clay
tablets wing Immediately upon the
fleor or very close nv it, y few hours
later the Whole room Lad been care
fully searched and cleaned. Seven
hundred and thirty tablets We're gath
cred and safely stored in the castle"
of our fortified camp. Fortunately q
considera Bile number of these cunei-
form documents were intact and in Il
fine state Of preservation, but the rest
of them We're cracked and broken or
otherwise more or less damaged.
After a critical examination of the
building itself and of the condition,
position and contents of the tablets
found therein, it became evident that
the eXcavated room had been once
used as a business archive by the APP
parently wealthy and influential firm
of Marashu Sons of Nippur, who lived
in the time of ArtaXerxes l. (464-424
b. c. and Darius II. (423-f05 3. c..
in whose reigns the documents are
dated. All these tablets, covering q
period of more than fifty years and
Inscribed by many different hands in
Nippur and other neishhorine places
were made of an especially pure soft
clay and nodded and baked with
greater care than is usual in the Ba-
bylonian tablets met with in my eX-
perience. which rests upon an eXaml-
nation of over 10000 euneiform tests
belonging to nearly every century of
the last 1000 years b. {. In their reg
ular form and beautiful appearance
many of these tablets approach those
of King AshurbanapaFs famous Ii
brary, from which cur young AssyTi-
illogical science has chiefly drawn its
material
The Babvlonians were the Ameri-
cans of antiquity. They We're a ma
ticn Of business men, their mortgages,
notes. deeds, wills and other doeu-
ments being drawn with greater care
and along the same principles as the
similar documents we use today.
Lawyers did a fourishing business in
Babylon, as these people were fond
of going to law and made all transfers
of property a matter of record. Not
only did they invent mortgages, but
leases also.
One interesting lease cited by Pro-
fessor Hilprecht demised a field and
fishpond for the term of Il year. The
| lessee made a first payment of one
talent of silver and in addition, as
ground rent, agreed to furnish the
| lessor with a mess of fish for his fam
| lily table every day. Another lease
transferred a piece of improved prop
erty for sixty years, the ground rent
! being paid in advance, and the ten
ant being guaranteed against all
! claims of whatever nature.
All these documents were inscribed
| on brick made of clay by means of a