190 



THEOPHILUS G. PINCHES, LL.D., M.R.A.S., ON 



to is garlic, and tablets recording dealings in large supplies of 

 this vegetable have actually come to light. These texts, which 

 belong to the collections acquired by G. Smith for the British 

 Museum in 1876, read as follows : — 



" 5500 ropes of garlic (giddil mmi), pro\nsion of the king, 

 for Gimillu, son of Samas-zer-ibni, descendant of Sin- 

 sadu-nu, head of the king's provision-house, from Xabu- 

 musetiq-urri, son of Tabnea. He shall give the ropes 

 (of garlic) in Tammuz, in Babylon." 



Here come the names of two witnesses and the scribe. The 

 date is — 



" Bit-Tabi-bel, Sivan, day 25th, 42nd year of Nebu- 

 chadrezzar, king of Babylon." 



Bit-Tabi-bel was either a small city near, or a suburb of 

 Babylon. 

 Another reads as follows : — 



" 2500 ropes of [garhc], of the provision of the king, [for 

 Gimillu]. etc., from Nergal-usallim, son of Zerutu, descendant 

 of Dabibu." 



Here follow the names of two witnesses and the scribe — 



" Subat-Meme (or Subat-Gula), month Ab, day 20th 

 less 1, 42nd year of Nebuchadrezzar, king of Babylon." 



Meme is one of the names of Gula, goddess of healing, and the 

 place must have been so called because of a temple there dedicated 

 to her. It is not impossible that, though an ancient foundation, 

 it had become incorporated into the great capital. 



A still larger consignment of garlic — no less than 75,000 

 ropes — is recorded on another tablet, but the text has no reference 

 to the king. This is dated at Sahrinu, which was possibly 

 another suburb of Babylon. The Babylonians in general were 

 seemingly great lovers of garlic, and the renowned Nebuchadrezzar 

 evidently looked upon it with much favour. The large quantity 

 which he dedicated to the gods was in all probability consumed 

 by the priests of the temples of Merodach and Nebo, as well as 

 by other religious orders in Babylonia. 



Herodotus speaks of the fruitfulness of Babylonia, as does 

 also Berosus. The latter describes the chief products of the 

 land as being " wheat, barley, ocrus, sesame, and the root called 

 Gongae," the last-named coming from the lakes, and equal 



