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her together with him, preferring her over their two sons (who actu-
ally had the right of succession). In another text (RS 16.250), the
husband provides that his wife is to be “the owner of the house over
her son.” These were means designed by the husband to protect the
otherwise secondary status of the widow, clearly evidenced in adop-
tion contracts (see 5.3.2 above). On the other hand, the widower in
RS 16.267 is said to have full rights over the property of his wife.6.2.7 If a man died without legitimate descendants,^35 the estate
would pass (often by the act of the king) to the nearest relative. In
RS 15.89, the property passes to the paternal niece; in RS 16.242,
to the paternal nephew; and in RS 16.295, from maternal grand-
father to grandson, with subsequent adoption (see 5.3.2 above).- C
7.1 Gift
Royal grants of real estate are by far the largest group of texts. The
transfer of ownership is expressed, as in other deeds of conveyance,
by the verb “to give” (nadànu) or, more commonly, by the hendi-
adys “to take and give” (na“û-nadànu). The property is very briefly
described, by the name of the former owner and sometimes its geo-
graphical location, but no measurements or boundaries are given.
In a few examples, the gift consists of towns (e.g., RS 15.114) and/or
their taxes (e.g., RS 16.153).
In some cases where the king is the donor, he receives a counter-
gift (kubbudàtu), namely an amount of silver or gold, from the other
party (suggesting that these acts could be interpreted as sales). More
often than not, gifts are explicitly heritable, as are also the rights
and duties of the recipient with regard to the property (i.e., pilku
service).^36
As for non-royal gifts, women appear relatively regularly as recip-
ients: from the husband (e.g., RS 16.253) or from the father-in-law(^35) Possibly designated by the term nayyàlu(cf. Nougayrol, “Textes de Ras-
Shamra.. .,” 185, who preferred later the generally accepted interpretation of “défail-
lant” in PRU 3, p. 29).
(^36) See Márquez Rowe, “Royal Land Grants...”
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