A History of Ancient Near Eastern Law

connection with a sale transaction or by the loser of a court case

concerning a donkey.^458

7.1.4 Sale receipts may be represented by Deir el-Medina ostraca

containing the formula: “In order to cause to be known the money

which I, X, have given to Y as compensation (≈b3) for an object.”

This is followed by the amount in the silver “n'tystandard.^459

Baines suggests that the stela of Emhab (Seventeenth Dynasty) may

be the “monumental imitation of a sale document” (concerning a

slave woman).^460

7.2 Loan

There are few actual explicit loan documents from the New King-

dom.^461 P. Turin 1881 contains a loan of grain made at the very

high interest of some 100 percent yearly.^462 P. Turin ( Journal of the

Theban Necropolis B) is a court record concerning payment or partial

payment of numerous debts.^463 The court could order that a debtor’s

payments to his creditor be reported to the court.^464 In O. Cairo

25553, it appears that the court appoints an official to see that the

debtor pays his debt.^465 The penalty for failure to repay loans is 100

percent.^466

Numerous texts record debts,^467 payment, or partial payment of

debts. P. Turin ( Journal of the Theban Necropolis) may contain a

partial repayment by a woman for various objects (including a sar-

cophagus).^468 In O. Gardiner 68, a man who has received services

in the form of the engraving of a bowl swears in public (apparently)

(^458) Allam, “Eine Abstandsurkunde.. .” Published in Allam, Hieratische Ostraka...,
171, and discussed in Verfahrensrecht.. ., 20, 21, 24.
(^459) So Helck, “Kauf,” col. 370; contra Janssen, “Gift-giving.. .,” 256. Cf. also
Helck, “Zahlungsquittung...”
(^460) “Emheb.. .,” 50.
(^461) Cheshire, “Darlehen,” col. 993. See McDowell, “Agricultural Activity...,”
205; Menu, “Prêt.. .,” and “Modalités...”
(^462) Allam, Hieratische Ostraka.. ., 316. Cf. also Lichtheim, AEL2, 138; Quack,
Ani.. ., 101.
(^463) Allam, Hieratische Ostraka.. ., 332–34; O. DeM 433 (ibid., 123–24).
(^464) O. Brussel E 6311 (ibid., 53–54); Allam, Verfahrensrecht.. ., 107.
(^465) Allam, Hieratische Ostraka.. ., 58.
(^466) Menu, “Prêt.. .,” 83.
(^467) O. Gardiner 204 (Allam, Hieratische Ostraka.. ., 189–90). See also Boochs, “Zur
Problematik...”
(^468) Allam, Hieratische Ostraka.. ., 331, and Verfahrensrecht.. ., 17.
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