An Arabic Papyrus Dated A. H.

205
Author(s): Nabia Abbott
Source: Journal of the American Oriental Society, Vol. 57, No. 3, (Sep., 1937), pp. 312-315
Published by: American Oriental Society
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/594586
Accessed: 31/05/2008 17:15

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312 Brief Communications

utterances be the cause of many of the apparent incongruities and

inconsistencies in the relations between the so-called four sections
of Lagash and between each of them and the general name Lagash?
During the several centuries of the patesis and kings there were
doubtless many variations, contractions and expansions in the
locations, boundaries, and areas of Lagash and its component parts,
so that no fixed boundaries can be laid down for the entire period.
May not the following be a feasible solution of some of the prob-
lems touching the contactual, topographical, and national relations
of these so-called city-units covered by the name Lagash? As has
happened so frequently with many cities down to our own times,
Lagash was not simply the country, but a name covering a city
complex, composed of parts, of unequal importance, which arose
at different periods of development down through the years of its
growth as a realm.
IRAMAURICE PRICE
University of Chicago

An Arabic Papyrus Dated A. H. 205

with Professor Torrey, I present the following
IN FULL ACCORD
corrected translation, with notes, of the papyrus published by him
in the June, 1936, number of this JOURNAL under the title "An
Arabic Papyrus Dated 205 A. H."
No attempt is made to exhaust all the possibilities for the names,
especially the Coptic ones. I have endeavored to keep the transla-
tion as close as possible to that originally given by Professor Torrey.

Corrected Translation
This is that which Af'ida b. Jarjara al-Zumrudi purchased from
Tlsi (2) and Faqri, the son of Anfar. He bought from them the
estate of Anfar Abu Faqri, (3) which Tuisi and Faqri had inherited
from their father Anfar; and it is the dwelling house (4) which is
in the enclosure with certain (other) buildings.
He bought this from them for 3 dinars, (5) in gold coin. The
whole amount of the dinars was delivered to Tusi and Faqri, (6)
and by it (this payment) Af'ida became free of obligation to them.
Tusi and Faqri, at the time when they sold to Af'ida (7) this
 Brief Communications 313

estate which they had inherited from Anfar, were of sound mind
and body. (8) They sold it with its entrance and its exit, and
with what is below and above its surface. If a claim shall be made
by anyone (9) in any manner whatsoever or for any reason what-
soever, then upon Tfisi (1) and Faqri falls its settlement from
their own property.
The boundaries of this (11) which Af'ida has purchased from
Tusi and Faqri: The southern boundary is the street; its boundary
(12) on the north is the dwelling of Kaisan; its western boundary
is the dwelling of al-Fann (?); and its boundary (13) on the east
is the dwelling of Yohannas. He bought this from them for 3
dinars in gold coin. (14) (The following witnesses) testified to
the acknowledgment of Tfisi, (each) knowing her in person and in
name, she being capable of transacting (15) her (business) affairs,
knowing what is due to her, and what is required of her: Marqus
b. Ishaq (16) and 'Abd al-Samad, the saddler, wrote his testimony
for him with his knowledge and in his presence. (17) And Abtuila
b. Hiarun, and 'Abd al-Samad wrote his testimony for him with
his knowledge (18) and in his presence. And Quzman b. Sayyid
Hrarun,and 'Abd al-Samad wrote his testimony for him (19) with
his knowledge and in his presence. And Sahm b. HIirun, and (20)
'Abd al-Samad wrote his testimony for him, with his knowledge
and in his presence. (21) And Ishaq b. Ibrahim al-Qurasi, and he
wrote his testimony with his (own) hand. (22) And Ibrahim b.
Ayyub, and 'Abd al-Samad wrote his testimony for him with his
knowledge and in his presence. (23) And Sairaf b. Farfara(?)
and Abd al-Samad wrote his testimony for him with his knowledge
and in his presence. (24) ? ? in the diwan(?) of Alexandria( ?).
And this was written in (the month of) Ramadian, (25) in the
year 205.
Notes
Line 2. The second word is more likely to be, on paleographic
grounds, a .j rather than a ,. It is not uncommon in similar
documents to have a person's first name only mentioned. A second
possibility for the name read as J is e. QJ, Qafri, the Coptic
KOyrTTp; cf. GrohmannArabic Papyri in the Egyptian Library,
Vol. I, p. 173 (Cairo, 1934).
Lines 4, 5, and 13. That the price involved is 3 and not 300
dinars, is assured not only from the word itself, as remarked in
314 Brief Communications
the note, but by comparison with similar documents in which the
price rarely, if ever, exceeds a two-figure number.
Line 7. The usual formula runs tj () ,? Cro ss , the
familiar "sound in mind and body." The scribe here probably
meant to substitute p for ,aj.w. The four words following
run true to the usual formula and are explained through the trans-
lation given.
Line 9. The first word is UWJI; the phrase LW JI o Lo
is frequently met with in similar documents.
Line 10. 36l is a possible reading, but the usual terminology
of similar documents would suggest either jfj or NU3.
Line 13. The common Coptic name w is suggested instead
of Sj!; the third and fourth letters are too large for yd and ra
respectively.
Lines 14-15. These present a problem. The fact to be estab-
lished at this point of similar contracts is that the witness not only
knows the contracting party or parties personally, but that he also
knows them to be capable of directing their own (business) affairs.
In other words, it is the qualification of the contracting party or
parties, and not that of the witness, that is under consideration.
The formula usually runs thus:

)1 croCQ . ...
"So-and-so (= X) testified to be the acknowledgement of So-and-
so (= Y) whom he (X) knows in person and by name and who
(i. e. Y) is in control of his affairs, etc." If this formula is to be
followed, lines 14-15 should read:

3Lt1
[y ] jk k0L- ][ij . t) ay [,]Ij4) 5
l^W Lo [ Lo <^j
HJ11
This would indicate that Tfus was the sister of Faqrl, though it
does not explain why Faqrl was left out in the formula. It is to
be noticed however that Tfusiis always mentioned first. There may
be room then to infer that she was older than her brother, who
perhaps was a minor. Then as heirs to the property, they would both
have a recognized interest in the sale, and hence be considered as
 Brief Communications 315

the " sellers," from whose property future claims must be settled;
though the legal responsibility for the sale itself rested on Tusi only.
Line 16. For lI,J (which is not of the terminology of these
contracts) should be substituted CJJI, the saddler. Persons are
frequently further identified by their trades.
Line 18. The name of the witness seems to be iCr. , 3 .(C ,Oj
Line 19. The witness' first name is most likely ,.
Lines 16, 17, 18, 19-20, 22, and 23. The three words following
.. in these lines are IJ1 j. as. We have here six illiterate
witnesses who call on 'Abd al-Samad, the saddler, to sign for them,
in their presence-a common procedure in like documents. This
accounts also for the similarity of the script of these lines as against
that of line 21 where Ish.aqb. Ibrahim signs for himself.
Line 22. That the last name of the witness is [. ] I1 is very
probable. But it is highly doubtful that we have here the Ibrahim
b. Abi Ayyub referred to in Professor Torrey's note, since the wit-
ness here is illiterate.
Line 23. The last word in the line is 'sy:a) ; for the second
last letter is not rounded enough for a f], and there is not enough
space between it and the last letter for a medial yd. What looks
like a medial yd is the first stroke (unusually low, it is true) of the
final h&.
Line 24. The village or city in which the transaction takes
place is usually mentioned in the first part of similar documents;
but perhaps we do have here the exception that proves the rule.
There are, however, paleographic difficulties in reading dJi5<X,
both what is read for a nun and d&lbeing very doubtful. That the
line has both the words J and ,lI.| seems likewise to be excep-
tional, for one would hardly expect a public bureau, at that date,
to be housed in a mosque and especially in a city as large as
Alexandria. The lacunae and the fact that I am working from
half-tone reproduction of a photograph do not encourage any
further attempts at an alternative reading.
NABIA ABBOTT
University of Chicago