Sumerian Legal Case (ditila): A Lawsuit for Breach of Betrothal Promise (Volk #37)
Introduction
The following text is a Sumerian legal case, called a ditila, about a breach of betrothal promise (so Neumann), or possibly a case of fornication. Neumann titles the text “Bestätigung einer getroffenen Eheabsprache und Ahndung des Bruchs derselben” (i.e., confirmation of a marriage agreement and punishment for breaking it), which Volk follows (“suit for breach of betrothal promise”).
N.b., this post is part of a series of my translations of Sumerian texts which I translated in my Sumerian class at Hopkins this semester. In preparation for my upcoming Sumerian final on May 9th, I plan to review all the texts which we read this semester. In what follows, I present the inscription’s line drawing followed by a transliteration of the cuneiform, translation, and brief philological commentary.
Line Drawing
Transliteration
I: 1-13 (obverse):
di-til-la | ni3-u2-rum[1] dumu ur-dmuš-da-ka-ke4[2] | igi-ni in-g̃a2g̃ar-ra | mu lugal | geme2–dig-alim dumu lugal-ki-gal-la | ur-dig-alim ibila2-g̃u10[3] | ḫa-an-tuku bi2-in-du11-ga | lugal-igi-ḫuš2 dumu ur-dba-u2[4] nu-banda3 | lu2–dšara2 dumu ni3-u2-rum nara[5] | lu2 inim-ma-bi-me | u3 ni3-u2-rum-e du11-ga-na ba-ni-gi-in | mu ni3-u2-rum-ma | ibila-n[e2 inim-lugal] in-[tuku-a-še3][6] |
II: 14-24 (reverse):
1 ma-na ku3-babbar | geme2–dig-alim-ra | ni3-u2-rum-e | in-na-la2-e | ur-dištaran[7] dumu ni3-mu[8] maškim[9] | lu2–dšara2 | lu2-ib-gal[10] | lu2-dig̃ir-ra | ur- dištaran | di-ku5-bi-me || mu ma2-dara3-abzu[11] ba-ab-du8
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[1] The nig̃2 sign is read ni3, because we might otherwise expect the following sign to be g̃u(x) if the nasalized /g̃/ was pronounced.
[2] Falkenstein: dumu-ur-d<nu->muš-da-ka-ke4
[3] wr. TUR.ARAD = ibila2-g̃u10. Note Falkenstein’s ibila-mu.
[4] Falkenstein: ur-dba-ba6 for reading the DN as Baba rather than Bau.
[5] Following Falkenstein on the reading of the final sign as the line drawing is unclear.
[6] Following Falkenstein on the reconstruction of ln. 13.
[7] wr. KA.DI = dištaran (a Mesopotamian god and tutelary deity of Der east of the Tigris). Note Falkenstein reads the compound as dsatarana, probably an older reading (i.e., in scholarship) for Ištaran.
[8] Or: nig̃-g̃u10
[9] wr. PA.KAŠ4 = maškim
[10] Falkenstein: lú-eb-gala8
[11] wr. ZU.AB = abzu
Translation(s)
My translation: A completed court case: (It was) Ni’urum son of Ur-mušda who appeared (lit. ‘placed his face’) and declared: ‘In the name of the king: Ur-Igalim, my heir(-son) has indeed taken Géme-Igalim child of Lugal-kigala!”[1] Lugal-igi-ḫuš son of Ur-Ba’u, the supervisor (or: ‘inspector’) (and) Lu-Šára son of Ni’urum, the musician (or: ‘singer’) (were) the witnesses, and Ni’urum confirmed it with his testimony.[2] Because the heir(-son) of Ni’urum [has taken Géme-Igalim],[3] Ni’urum will pay (lit. ‘weigh out’) 1 mina of silver to Géme-Igalim. Ur-Ištaran son of Nimu (or: Nig̃u), bailiff. Lú-Šara, Lú-Ibgal, Lú-dig̃ira, Ur-Ištaran were its judges. (Date:) The year (in which Šu-Suen, the king of Ur) made/caulked the ‘Ibex of the Abzu’ boat.
Falkenstein 1956: (1) Abgeschlossene Rechtssache: Daß Ni’urum, der Sohn des Ur<nu>mušda, erschienen ist (und): ‘Unter Eid beim König! (5) Geme’igalima, die Tochter des Lugalkigalla, möge Urigalima, meinen Erbsohn, heiraten!’, erklärt hat, dafür sind Lugaligiḫuš, der Sohn des Urbaba, des Inspektors, (und) Lušara, der Sohn des Ni’urum, des Musikanten, (10) Zeugen und Ni’urum hat seiner (= des Lugalkigalla) Aussage zugestimmt. Weil der Erbsohn des Ni’urum die Inim[lu]gala ge[heiratet hat], wird 1 Mine Silber (15) der Geme’igalima Ni’urum zahlen. Ursatarana, der Sohn des Nimu, (war dabei) Kommissär. Lušara, (20) Lu’ebgala, Ludingirra (und) Ursatarana waren die Richter in dieser (Rechtssache). Jahr, (in dem) das Schiff ‘Bergziege des Abzu’ kalfatert worden ist.
Neumann 2004: (1) Abgeschlossene Rechtssache: (3/7) Daß (2) Ni’urum, der Sohn des Ur-<nu>mušda, (3) erschienen ist (und) (4) »Beim König! (5) Die Geme-Igalim, die Tochter des Lugalkigala, (7) hat (6) Ur-Igalim, mein Erbsohn, (7) fürwahr (zur Ehefrau) genommen!«, erklärt hat, (10) dafür sind (8) Lugaligiḫuš, der Sohn des Ur-Ba-U, des Inspektors, (9) (und) Lu-Šara, der Sohn des Ni’urum, des Musikanten, (10) Zeugen, (11) und Ni’urum hat (dies) mit seiner Aussage bestätigt.) (12-13) Wei[l] der Erbsohn des Ni’urum die Ini[mlu]gal (zur Ehefrau) ge[nommen hat], (17) wird (14) 1 Mine Silber (15) der Geme-Igalim (16) Ni’urum (17) zahlen. (18) Ur-Ištaran, der Sohn des Niĝu, (war dabei) Kommissär. (19) Lu-Šara, (20) Lu’ibgal, (21) Ludiĝira (und) (22) Ur-Ištaran (23) waren die dafür (zuständigen) Richter. (24) Jahr: Das Schiff ›Wildziege des Abzu‹ wurde kalfatert.
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[1] Traditional subject-object-verb syntax suggests that Geme-Igalim has “taken” Ur-Igalim. However, social norms and context implies that Ur-Igalim has taken Geme-Igalim. What is at stake in the verb tuku ‘to take’ is not entirely clear. Neumann adds the implied ‘zur Ehefrau’. An alternative interpretation is that Ur-Igalim has “taken” Geme-Igalim conjugally outside of marriage, which is why the legal case was necessary to protect the rights of the defendant.
[2] Lit., ‘in his speech’
[3] Either in marriage or conjugally outside of marriage, i.e. as fornication.
Philological Commentary
- ln. 6: ibila2 (wr. TUR.ARAD) ‘(male-)heir, heir(-son)’.[1] On the basis of formal similarity, clearly either a lw. from Akk. (aplum) or vice versa.
- ln. 7: ḫé.n.tuku.∅ ‘he has indeed taken’. The use of ḫé is asseverative rather than modal.
- ln. 14: 1 mana kù.babbar: 1 mina of silver was the equivalent of 60 shekels.
- ln. 17: ì.na.lá.e ‘he will pay to her’: marû transitive 3rd sg. < lá ‘to extend, weigh out’. Constituent parts include the verbal prefix /ì/, 3rd sg. dative /na/, the verbal base /lá/, and the marû transitive 3rd sg. agent pronoun /e/.
- ln. 23: dikud.bi.men ‘they were its judges’: wr. -me is the short form of the copula /men/.
[1] ePSD: ibila [HEIR] (133x: ED IIIb, Old Akkadian, Lagash II, Ur III, Early Old Babylonian, Old Babylonian, Middle Babylonian, unknown) wr. ibila; i3-bi2-la; ibila2; i3-bi-lu “heir” Akk. aplu
Bibliography
Falkenstein, A. Die neusumerischen Gerichtsurkunden, Teil 2: Umschrift, Übersetzung, und Kommentar. München: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften, 1956.
Neumann, H. “Mesopotamische Texte,” in Texte aus der Umwelt des Alten Testaments, Neue Folge (Band I): Texte zum Rechts- und Wirtschaftsleben. Edited by Bernd Janowski and Gernot Wilhelm. Gütersloh: Gütersloher Verlagshaus, 2004.
Volk, Konrad. A Sumerian Chrestomathy. Subsidia et Instrumenta Linguarum Orientis 5. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz Verlag, 2012.
Postscript
This post is dedicated to a good friend who celebrates his birthday today (May 2nd). In about 30 more years, I hope to contribute a formal publication to the festschrift in honor of his 60th birthday. Ad me’ah ve’esrim!
About The Author
Gilgameš and Agga (Lines 1-17) 
Law Code of Lipit-Ištar (Laws 8-18; CBS8284) 
Gudea Cylinder A xviii 1-28 (E3/1.1.7.CylA) 
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)