A History of Ancient Near Eastern Law

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brewer malt, which he contracts to pay back (qàt PN utâr) in grain

at an unspecified date.^124

A transaction known in Old Babylonian texts as na“pakùtu, whereby

one person stored grain with another, may be reflected in a settle-

ment agreement from Ur.^125

7.2.2 Repayment

7.2.2.1 When specified, loans of grain are due to be repaid the day

of the harvest.^126 Some texts record that when the debtor paid the

loan, he may break his seal (i.e., the tablet bearing his seal; kunukka“u

i¢eppe).^127

7.2.2.2 If a debtor had borrowed grain and at the time of payment

had no grain to give, he could pay with another commodity.^128

7.2.2.3 Several means were open to the creditor to press the debtor

for payment. In the case of grain deposited for storage (see 7.2.1

above), the depositor of the grain detained (èsir) the individual respon-

sible for its storage, and eventually the two litigated (dìna idbubù)

before a priest. In other texts, a creditor could seize a debtor who

has not paid,^129 and a surety who had paid to have prisoners released—

in effect loaning the bail money—could then detain the prisoners

himself until his bond was repaid.^130

7.3 Pledge

In a text from Ur, a man “stands an ox and its hire as pledge” (ana

manzazùti ulziz-ma), presumably in return for a loan.^131

(^124) UET 7 47.
(^125) UET 7 6. PN 1 had placed an amount of grain in the house of PN 2. After
PN 2 died, PN 1 litigated against PN 3 (probably his son) for payment.
(^126) E.g., UET 7 48.
(^127) E.g., UET 7 17; BE 14 111, 115.
(^128) E.g., UET 7 36, concluded before witnesses.
(^129) E.g., UET 7 18.
(^130) UET 7 16.
(^131) UET 7 46.
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