THE NUR-SIN ARCHIVE : PRIVATE ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN BABYLON (603-507 B.C.).

Format:

Book

Thesis/Dissertation

Author/Creator:

SHIFF, LAURENCE BRIAN.

Contributor:

University of Pennsylvania.

Subjects (All):

History, Ancient.

0579.

Local Subjects:

0579.

Physical Description:

667 pages

Contained In:

Dissertation Abstracts International 48-03A.

System Details:

Mode of access: World Wide Web.

text file

Summary:

Of the thousands of cuneiform tablets extant from the Neo-Babylonian period (seventh through fifth centuries B.C.) in ancient Mesopotamia, the majority are legal and business records that document a variety of commercial matters. Many belong to private individuals who had no apparent affiliation with the central authori- ties who dominated the economy at that time. Relatively little modern research, however, has been conducted into the role that these private businessmen played within the Neo-Babylonian economy. Consequently, the assertion of many scholars, notably K. Polanyi and his supporters, that merchants and traders in the ancient world did not engage in profit-oriented transactions, has not yet been tested in the context of the available Neo-Babylonian data.

The purpose of this study is to reconstruct the day-to-day business life of one family that lived in Babylon at this time, namely, the Nur-S(')in, whose archive of 223 cuneiform contracts and letters is collected and presented here in transliteration and translation, many for the first time.

An analysis of this archive's texts indicates that four generations of the Nur-S(')in family functioned for nearly a century as a sophisti- cated private commercial enterprise. They were actively involved in a variety of complex and highly profitable ventures that included money-lending as well as the wholesale importation and exportation of naturalia. At the center of most of these endeavors was Iddin-Marduk, son of Ig(')isa, who directed and coordinated all aspects of his family's business operations for 78 years. The texts reveal that, as an entrepreneur, Iddin-Marduk was often willing to accept financial risks in exchange for substantial, though not assured, returns on his investments. Moreover, at a time when many individuals served as salaried functionaries of the palace and temples, it is significant that the Nur-S(')in family's business undertakings were entirely private. All available evidence indicates that the family operated a profit-oriented enterprise that was independent of any control or management by the palace and the temples.

Notes:

Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 48-03, Section: A, page: 0723.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Pennsylvania, 1987.

Local Notes:

School code: 0175.

Access Restriction:

Restricted for use by site license.