A BABYLONIAN BANKING FIRM

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XII, Issue 178, 30 July 1877, Page 4

A BABYLONIAN BANKING FIRM

At a recent meeting of the London and Middlesex Archaeological Society some interesting particulars were given respection the history of a Babylonian banking firm, which is contained in the 2,500 tablets purchased by the late Mr George Smith, the celebrated Assyrian explorer, for the British Museum. These tablets, which have been deciphered and arranged by Dr. Birch and Mr Bbscawen, of the British Museum* relate to a firm of bankers trading unier the style of Egibi and Sod, who flourished in Babylon between the firs& : year of Nebuchadnezzar, b. c 604, id the end of the reign of Darius Hystanpes, b. c. 485. They relate to loans of silver on personal security at certain 1 ratea of interest; to loans on landed 1 and house property for certain periods, with full details and measuremeats of She land, &c; to sales of land,

Son oneMt^ffiilifWrf^fetf'iiytfßxed; land also to the aala of skvas. r . It ap-T pear«t;";fflwt' .Wrj?. J . iinvflhg^^ejgn'irjof ' Nebuchadnezzar Egibi retired from ib««lM- 'tibd; the chief of the firm 0 Ibeoame ! Sula; of of i^Bi l J i; _ IHb1 Hb ( co,tf.trnued : xjniil s 'ihQ ! :£%fd) KM^#^e?z»r. , ;,In\^;i^h L year', jofi tka| Monarch, £. ikiot '-abv^ ■ Sabu-akhir : lidin, was taken into the fink ' "witb : < His -> jfatber. On the deafen of Sula^ NabuUhi4din, : %E^d e he^, x p"ar% J er,.< an<J, r , jNahonidußi, lai the BthTjigaP df the_ latse'r king, NabQiakhi^ajn - ! jßbbk ititd ; p?ho remained head of the firm during jthe ram^iqierriOlf lfee>l:fijg.o :*f(.!Natt6aidtiß,A bed through the following reig&S 1 6t peara in the second year of BariUs : as he'ad i partQ^r, <£ft<£ ■ codtitiuea 1 ; such iiufin^^he remainder of that mfea J r6^. T rei^nl f This disco Wry takes fc^^jstocy^ )f banking much, further ;h*ck than dt We»=e^e>- gu^oaatt to^-htews. «s ißted, and ' ' some , of the __ ta.bl^tß : ; te'|iteidnt' •<jhbc i k'9 v , -. (tiid b'lh'er documents conneaieiiriWi^V |hia ancient firm.;; . : v. -/:"'/.:.".' !".f:(.:*. ■ ■' .