160 LIFE OF SIR JOHN LUBBOCK ch. 



E. & A. Antiquities, 



British Museum, No. 3488, 



3rd January 1902. 



Dear Lord Avebury — Herewith a few notes of 

 the contents of business tablets which we have here. 

 I hope they will be useful, but if there is any other kind 

 which you want, please say and I will see if we have 

 any examples. I have taken most of them from the 

 oldest tablets which we have so that you may be able 

 to say that the business transactions were not influenced 

 by the Persians and others. I have given dates and 

 numbers so that reference may if necessary be made 

 to the tablets. . . . — I am, my Lord, yours obediently, 



E. A. Wallis Budge, 



The Right Hon. Lord Avebury, D.C.L., F.R.S. 



Tablets Nos. 83,945 and 41,459 contain the record of 

 an important law-case and give the judicial decision. 

 A woman called Bunanitum married a man who 

 before his death made over to her a large property in 

 Bonsippa, which had been bought with part of her 

 dowry in the 4th year of Nabonidus b.c. 551. With 

 the other part of her dowry he traded and made a good 

 deal of money. His name was Apil-addu-natanu. In 

 due course his daughter by Bunanitum, called Nubta, 

 married, and was promised a dowry of 2 manas 10 

 shekels of silver. Before this dowry was paid 

 Bunanitum's husband died, and his brother, called 

 Akabi-ilu, laid claim to and seized all his property, 

 including that portion of it which had been bought 

 with the dowry of Bunanitum. Bunanitum brought 

 an action against her brother-in-law, and the judge 

 decided the case in her favour, and declared that the 

 whole of the property of the deceased belonged to her 

 and to her family. These documents are dated in the 

 9th j'car of Nabonidus B.C. 546. 



From Tablet No. 30,506 we learn that the amount of 

 money which Bunanitum and her husband borrowed 

 was \\ manas and 8 J shekels, and the lender was Iddina- 

 Marduk. Now, since 1 mana contains 60 shekels, 

 Bunanitum borrowed 98| shekels. She agreed to pay 

 as interest 61 shekels per month, therefore the interest 

 was over 60% per month, or over 720% per annum. 



