92 



Lutz, Viticulture and Brewing. 



A _contract-of the time of Xerxes narrates the hiring^ of^ 

 a certain brewer named Nabu-usallim Jor the purpose of pre- 

 paring mixed beer for the repast of the god Nabu. It reads': 

 300 clay jars- of beer for the repast of the god Nabu, be- 

 longing to Rimut-Bel, the son of Iddina-Nabu, the descendant 

 of Ilu(?)-abusu(?), he has given for preparing unto Nabu- 

 usallim, the son of Nabu-aplu-iddin, the descendant of La- 

 kuppuru. For the keg Rimut-Bel shall give to Nabu-uSallim 

 78 qa of barley and 6 qa of .... . cassia-spice. Then he shall 

 mix the kegs to the amount of 300, execute (it) and give (the 

 kegs) for the cellar(.f') of Rimut-Bel and of Marduk-balatsu- 

 iqbi, beginning with the month of Kislev of the 36th year-' 

 according to his document. He shall stand good(.?) for(?) the 

 correct delivery of good mixed beer before the cellars (.?) of 

 Rimut-Bel and of Marduk-balatsu-iqbi. He shall stand secu- 

 rity for it that the offering of the repast (of the god Nabu) 



suffers no delay and for Nabu-usallim shall give 



nine kegs unto Rimut-Bel. Therefrom (!) Nabu-usallim 



has received from the hand of Rimut-Bel 80 gur of barle}' 



and the remainder of the barley in Barsip(.f') Rimait- 



Bel shall give to Nabu-usallim. The cassiaspice(.?) Rimut-Bel 



shall give to Nabu-usallim in 1 gur Rimut-Bel 



shall make with Nabu-usallim. In the house of Rimut-Bel, 

 which is closed up, Nabu-usallim shall dwell. He shall take 

 care of the work of repair of the walling. For three }'ears 

 he shall cover(?) the roof. The work of tiles, cane and 

 beams, as much as Nabu-usallim shall make in the house 

 of Rimut-Bel, which is closed up, Nabu-usallim shall reckon 

 up to the charges of Rimut-Bel. For and house- 

 furniture, which Rimut-Bel shall entrust to Nabu-usallim in 



the closed-up house, Nabu-usallim is responsible. Nine - 



jars, 18 clay-kegs two bukanmi, one mixing- 

 machine of cane, one of cane, one 



i) See VS, VI, 182. 



2) Tuns , barrels and casks , which were made of wooden staves and 

 held together with hoops are an invention of the Gauls. See Pliny, XIV, 132: 

 circa Alpes vinum ligneis vasis condunt tectis circtilisqtie cingtint. 



3) That is the 36th year of Darius I.', which was the accession year of 

 Xerxes. 



