Law Code of Lipit-Ištar (Laws 8-18; CBS8284)
Introduction
The Law Code of Lipit-Ištar is a collection of laws dating back to the reign of Lipit-Ištar of the First Dynasty of Isin (r. ca. 1934-1924 BCE). Predating the so-called Code of Hammurabi, it is the second-oldest known extant legal code after that of Ur-Nammu, the founder of the Third Dynasty of Ur (21st cent. BCE). The tablet under review in this current blog post is CBS8284 from Nippur (mod. Nuffar) and covers laws 8 through 18. The rest of the law code includes a prologue which legitimatizes the legal content,[1] a main body including almost 40 legal provisions, and an epilogue.[2] The tablet is presently housed at the Penn Museum in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
[1] The prologue begins, “When great An, the father of the gods, and Enlil, king of all the lands, … they have given a favorable reign and the kingship of Sumer and Akkad to Isin…”
[2] The epilogue begins, “By the true command of Utu, I made Sumer and Akkad hold to fair judicial procedures…”
N.b., this post is part of a series of my translations of Sumerian texts in preparation for my upcoming Sumerian final on May 9th (tomorrow!). Due to the imminency of the exam, I apologize in advance for any typographical errors which will be corrected in due course. In what follows, I provide a line drawing of the tablet, a transliteration of the cuneiform, and my translation. Epigraphic and philological commentary is provided via footnotes.
Line Drawing
This line drawing as well as a transliteration and translation, although at times somewhat different from my own, are available via CDLI (P467648). N.b., the tablet is read in the following way: (1) obverse left column, (2) obverse right column, (3) reverse right column, and (4) reverse left column. The last two lines of the reverse (i.e. left column ln. 23-24) begin Law 19 which continues on to another tablet and thus is not translated here.
Law 8 (Col. 1, Lines 1-11)
tukum-bi[1] lú lú-ù g̃iškiri6 g̃iš gub-bu-dè[2] kislaḫ[3] in-na-an-šùm kislaḫ-bé g̃iškiri6 g̃iš gub-bu-dè nu-ni-in-til lú g̃iškiri6 in-gub-ba ša ḫa-la ba-na-ka kislaḫ ba-ra-al-tak4-e in-na-ab-šúm-mu
If a man gave an uncultivated plot to a(nother) man in order to plant trees as an orchard, (but) on that uncultivated plot he did not finish planting trees as an orchard, the man who planted the orchard shall give his allotment[4] of the date-palm[5] on the uncultivated-plot which was abandoned (back) to him (i.e., the original owner).[6]
————
[1] wr. ŠU.NÍG̃.TUR.LAL = tukum
[2] dè marking purpose ‘in order to’
[3] wr. KI.UD = kislaḫ
[4] hala [SHARE] wr. ha-la; hal “inheritance share” Akk. zittu
[5] bana [~PALM] (2x: Ur III) wr. ĝešba-na “part of a date palm”
[6] The question of who gives what to whom is not clear grammatically and up to interpretation. The translation of the last four lines on CDLI are “to the man who planted the orchard, included in his allotted share, the empty land which was left (unplanted) shall be given to him”. This implies, however, that the man who did not complete the work receives the empty land which was left unplanted. Contextually, I prefer to interpret the law as one protecting the original owner, namely the man who did not finish the work in cultivating the plot is penalized by having to return the unfinished part back to the original owner.
Law 9 (Col. 1, Lines 12-15)
tukum-bi g̃iškiri6 lú-ka in-[ ]-e11[1] nam-[ní-zuḫ-šè] ba-dab5 10 gig̃4 kù-babbar ì-lá-e
If he went down into the orchard of a(nother) man (and) was seized for the sake of stealing,[2] he shall pay (lit. ‘weigh out’)[3] 10 shekels[4] of silver.
————
[1] wr. DU6.DU = e11
[2] ePSD: zuh [STEAL] (24x: ED IIIb, Ur III, Old Babylonian) wr. zuh “to steal” Akk. šarāqu
[3] ePSD: la [HANG] (1399x: ED IIIa, ED IIIb, Old Akkadian, Lagash II, Ur III, Early Old Babylonian, Old Babylonian) wr. la2; la; lal2 “to supervise, check; to weigh, weigh (out), pay; to hang, balance, suspend, be suspended; to show, display; to bind; binding, (yoke-)team; to press, throttle; to winnow (grain); to carry” Akk. alālu; hanāqu; hiāţu; kamû; kasû; şimittu; kullumu; šaqālu; šuqalulu; zarû
[4] ePSD: giĝ [UNIT] (18136x: ED IIIb, Old Akkadian, Lagash II, Ur III, Early Old Babylonian, Old Babylonian, uncertain) wr. giĝ4 “a unit of weight, shekel; a unit of area; a unit of volume” Akk. šiqlu
Law 10 (Col. 1, Lines 16-20)
tukum-bi lú g̃iškiri6 lú-ka g̃iš in-sàg̃ maš ma-na kù-babbar ì-lá-e
If a man cuts down[1] a tree (or: ‘trees’) in the orchard of a(nother) man, he shall pay half a mana-unit[2] of silver.[3]
————
[1] ePSD: sag [BEAT] (186x: ED IIIb, Lagash II, Ur III, Old Babylonian) wr. sag3; sag2 “to strike, beat; weave” Akk. mahāşu
[2] ePSD: mana [UNIT] (9459x: ED IIIa, ED IIIb, Old Akkadian, Lagash II, Ur III, Early Old Babylonian, Old Babylonian) wr. ma-na “a unit of weight” Akk. manû
[3] A mana was approximately 60 shekels.
Law 11 (Col. 1 Line 21 through Col. 2 Line 13)
tukum-bi lú é-e ús-sa-né | kislaḫ lú al-tak4 lugal é-a-ke4 lugal kislaḫ-ra kislaḫ-zu al-tak4 é-g̃u10 lu2 ì-bùr-dè é-zu kala-ga-ab in-na-an-du11 inim zú-kéš-rá-bi un-da-an-gi-en lugal kislaḫ-a-ke4 lugal é-a-ra níg̃ ú-gu-dé-a-ni in-na-ab-su-su[1]
If a man leaves[2] abandoned[3] an uncultivated plot beside[4] the estate (lit. ‘house’)[5] of a(nother) man, (and) the owner of the estate said[6] to the man with the uncultivated plot: “Your uncultivated plot remains[7] abandoned with the result that[8] a man may break into[9] my estate. Fortify[10] your estate!” He shall establish the bound[11] word.[12] (Thereafter,) the owner of the uncultivated plot shall replace[13] to the owner of the estate anything which disappears[14] of his.
————
[1] The sign on the line drawing looks closer to ZU/sú, but contextually SU/sug6 ‘to repay a loan; to replace’ is the preferred reading.
[2] The /al/ in al-tak4 indicates stative.
[3] taka [ABANDON] (667x: ED IIIb, Old Akkadian, Lagash II, Ur III, Early Old Babylonian, Old Babylonian, unknown) wr. tak4 “to set aside, leave behind; to save, keep back, hold back” Akk. ezēbu; uhhuru; šêtu
[4] ePSD: us [SIDE] (4087x: ED IIIb, Old Akkadian, Lagash II, Ur III, Early Old Babylonian, Old Babylonian, unknown) wr. us2 “side, edge; path” Akk. šiddu
[5] É usually means ‘house’ or ‘temple’ but can mean ‘estate’ more broadly. The latter is preferred here on contextual grounds.
[6] The verb is not written until after the quote, namely lns. 7: in-na-an-du11 ‘he said to him’.
[7] Again, translation based on the stative al.
[8] The dè on ì-bùr-dè usually indicates purpose ‘in order that’ but here should be interpreted as resultative ‘with the result that’.
[9] ePSD: burud [PERFORATE] (49x: Old Akkadian, Ur III, Old Babylonian) wr. burudx(U) “breach, hole; depression, low-lying area, depth; to perforate; (to be) deep” Akk. palāšu; šapālu; pilšu; šupālu; šuplu. Better is Thomsen 1984, p. 298: ‘to pierce, to break into (a house)’.
[10] kala-ga-ab is an imperative. ePSD: kalag [STRONG] (2398x: ED IIIb, Old Akkadian, Lagash II, Ur III, Early Old Babylonian, Old Babylonian) wr. kal-ga; kalag; kal-la “(to be) strong, powerful, mighty; to reinforce; to provide for” Akk. dannu; kubbû.
[11] zu kešed [GATHER] (67x: Old Babylonian) wr. zu2 keš2 “to gather, to assemble; to organize; to bind” Akk. kaşāru; rakāsu
[12] i.e., a sort of contract for future reference. The ancient concept of authorship is described as authoritatively “binding” words.
[13] ePSD: sug [REPLACE] (3139x: ED IIIb, Old Akkadian, Ur III, Old Babylonian) wr. sug6 “to repay a loan; to replace” Akk. apālu; riābu
[14] ePSD: ugu de [DISAPPEAR] (107x: Old Akkadian, Ur III, Old Babylonian, unknown) wr. u2-gu de2; u2-gu3 de2; ugu de2 “to disappear” Akk. halāqu
Law 12 (Col. 2, Lines 14-22)
tukum-bi géme árad lú-ù šà uru-ka ba-záḫ[1] é lú-ka 1 iti-àm ì-tuš-a ba-an-gi-en sag̃ sag̃-gin7 ba-ab-šúm-mu
If a female-servant or a male-servant[2] of a man flee[3] into the midst of a city, into the house of a(nother) man, (and) after a month his dwelling has been confirmed,[4] servant for servant[5] it shall be given.[6]
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[1] wr. ḪA.A = záḫ
[2] One should not confuse this sort of debt-servitude with chattel slavery which is otherwise not known (or at least not common) in the ancient Near East until much later (around the Persian period). The type of “slavery” (better: servitude) known from the Hebrew Bible is more consistent with the debt-servitude in this text rather than anything like chattel slavery from the antebellum Americas.
[3] ePSD: zah [DISAPPEAR] (481x: ED IIIb, Old Akkadian, Ur III, Old Babylonian) wr. zah3; zah2 “to disappear; to move away, withdraw; to stay away; (to be) lost; (to be) fugitive” Akk. duppuru; halāqu; nābutu; šerû
[4] lit. ‘it being one month, (and) the dwelling there has been confirmed’
[5] sag̃ sag̃-gin7, lit. ‘head like head’
[6] ePSD: šum [GIVE] (1656x: ED IIIb, Old Akkadian, Lagash II, Ur III, Early Old Babylonian, Old Babylonian) wr. šum2; ze2-eĝ3 “to give” Akk. nadānu
Law 13 (Col. 2 Line 23 through Col. 3 Line 2)
Law 14 (Col. 3, Lines 3-13)
tukum-bi árad lú-ke4 lugal-a-ni-ir nam-árad-da-ni ba-an-da-gur lugal-a-ni-ir nam-árad-da-ni a-rá 2-kam un-gi-en árad-bi al-búr-e
If the male-servant of a man contests[1] his slave status to his owner, (then) his owner must prove his slave status twice; (otherwise,) that slave shall be released.[2]
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[1] ePSD: gur [TURN] (659x: ED IIIb, Old Akkadian, Ur III, Early Old Babylonian, Old Babylonian, unknown) wr. gur “to reject (legal evidence), to turn away; to turn, return” Akk. sahāru; târu
[2] ePSD: bur [SPREAD] (176x: ED IIIb, Old Akkadian, Ur III, Old Babylonian, uncertain) wr. bur2; bur “to release, free; to reveal; to spread out, cover” Akk. pašāru; šuparruru
Law 15 (Col. 3, Lines 14-17)
tukum-bi mi-iq-tum níg̃-ba lugal-kam nu-ub-da-an-kar-ri
If a miqtum-person[1] is a gift of the king,[2] he can not be taken away.[3]
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[1] Although clearly a Semitic loanword, the nature of the miqtum-person is unclear but may be associated with a person with leprousy. ePSD associates it with a particular social class: miqtum [SOCIAL CLASS] (1x: Old Babylonian) wr. mi-iq-tum “social class”
[2] ePSD: niĝba [GIFT] (243x: ED IIIb, Old Akkadian, Lagash II, Ur III, Early Old Babylonian, Old Babylonian) wr. niĝ2-ba “gift” Akk. qīštu
[3] ePSD: kar [FLEE] (158x: ED IIIb, Old Akkadian, Ur III, Old Babylonian) wr. kar “to flee; to take away (by force), remove; to deprive; to save” Akk. ekēmu; eţēru; mašā’u; nērubu
Law 16 (Col. 3, Lines 18-25)
tukum-bi mi-iq-tum ní-te-a-ni-ta lú-ù un-ši-g̃en lú-bi nu-un-tag-tag ki šà-ga-na-šè ḫa-ba-du
If a miqtum-person has gone to a(nother) man of his own accord,[1] that man shall not be touched. He can go wherever he wants.[2]
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[1] ní-te-a-ni-ta, lit. ‘from himself’ > ‘of his own accord’
[2] ki šà-ga-na-šè, lit. ‘to the place of his heart’ > ‘wherever he wants’
Law 17 (Col. 4, Lines 1-9)
tukum-bi lú lú-ù á nu-g̃ar-ra-ta[1] inim nu-zu-[ni] in-[da]-lá lú-bi nu-un-gi-en inim in-da-lá-a nam i-ni-tag-ba íb-íl-e
If a man accused a(nother) man about a matter which he had no knowledge, (and) that man has not proven it, in the matter which he accused him, he shall bear that penalty.[2]
————
[1] This phrase is difficult. CDLI translates ‘heedlessly(?)’. ePSD glosses ‘to defeat’ for the compound vb. (a ĝar [DEFEAT] (18x: Ur III, Old Babylonian) wr. a2 ĝar; a2 ĝa2-ĝa2; a2 ĝal2 “to defeat” Akk. dâşu). It seems probable the law is dealing with false accusation
[2] The idea of penalty comes from the compound root nam-tag. See ePSD: namtaga [SIN] (55x: Old Babylonian) wr. nam-tag; nam-tag-ga; nam-tag2; nam-tag2-ga “sin”
Law 18 (Col. 4, Lines 10-22)
tukum-bi lugal é-a ù nin é-a-ke4 gú-un é-a in-šub-bu-uš lú-kúr-e in-íl mu 3-kam-ma-ka nu-ub-ta-è-e[1] lú gú-un é-a in-íl-la é-bi ba-an-tùm lugal é-a-ke4 inim nu-um-g̃á-g̃á-a
If the owner of a house[2] or the lady of a house has defaulted[3] on the taxes[4] of the house, and another[5] man has borne (lit. ‘carried’) them, he (i.e., the original owner) shall not be evicted[6] from it until the third year. The man who bore the taxes shall take that house. The owner of the house[7] shall not make a claim (for it).
————
[1] wr. UD.DU = è
[2] CDLI’s “estate” is also possible.
[3] ePSD: šub [FALL] wr. šub “to fall; to drop, lay (down); to thresh (grain)” Akk. habātu; maqātu; nadû
[4] ePSD: gun [LOAD] wr. gun2; gu2-un “load; yield; rent, tax, tribute; a unit of weight” Akk. biltu
[5] ePSD: kur [DIFFERENT] (489x: ED IIIb, Old Akkadian, Lagash II, Ur III, Early Old Babylonian, Old Babylonian, uncertain, unknown) wr. kur2; gur “(to be) different; (to be) strange; (to be)estranged; (to be) hostile; to change; to become strange; to alternate (math.)” Akk. nakāru; šanû
[6] lit. ‘made go out’
[7] i.e., the original owner, not the new one.
Resources
CDLI:
- https://cdli.mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de/search?layout=full&id=P467648
- https://cdli.mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de/artifacts/464355
About The Author
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Gudea Cylinder A iii 1-29 (E3/1.1.7.CylA) 
Gudea Cylinder A ii 1-29 (E3/1.1.7.CylA) 
Gudea Cylinder A i 1-29 (RIME E3/1.1.7.CylA) 
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