Enslavement Contract of Nabû-karabi-išme

Place of OriginIraq, reportedly from Babylon

Date587 BCE

Dimensions1 5/16 × 1 9/16 × 1/2 in. (3.4 × 4 × 1.3 cm)

MediumClay tablet with cuneiform inscription

ClassificationUtilitarian Objects

Object number

1915.162

Not on View

DescriptionRectangular clay tablet with dense cuneiform script on obverse and reverse. Inscribed with a transaction record in Akkadian . Includes names of involved parties and witnesses. Dated to the 18th year of Nebuchadnezzar II (587 BCE) based on cuneiform date formula

Label TextThis clay tablet, inscribed in 587 BCE during King Nebuchadnezzar II's reign, documents the sale of Nabû-karabi-išme, a Babylonian man, into slavery. In Neo-Babylonian society, slavery was integral, with individuals often enslaved due to debts, crimes, or as war captives. Unlike later forms of slavery, Babylonian slaves could own property, engage in business, and even buy their freedom. This contract provides insight into the legal and social frameworks of ancient Mesopotamia, highlighting the complexities of personal status and economic transactions in that era.Published ReferencesVan De Mieroop, Marc, and Tremper Longman, “Cuneiform Tablets from the Toledo Museum of Art,” Revue d’Assyriologie et d’Archéologie Orientale, vol. 79, 1985, no. 33, p. 36-37.

“TMA 15.162 Artifact Entry.” 2014. Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (CDLI). June 25, 2014. https://cdli.ucla.edu/P465836.