Prebends in Babylonia during the Old Babylonian Period (2000-1600 BC)

在古代近东研究中，“prebend”一词指的是从神庙中获得收入的权利，作为对神的崇拜服务的回报。根据来自美索不达米亚的楔形文字资料，这些服务包括监视和维护寺庙建筑，以及准备和提供供品。据我们所知，这些服务的税前收入可能包括粮食、剩余的原材料或剩余的供品。由于参与祭祀的寺庙个人的报酬是寺庙经济的一个重要组成部分，并且preprearies构成了美索不达米亚社会中一个显著的和有影响力的部分。相关证据-即行政和法律文件，以及在某种程度上对仪式的描述-主要来自旧巴比伦时期（公元前2000-1600年）以及新巴比伦和塞琉古时代（公元前1千年）。虽然在后期有许多关于预弯的研究，但在古巴比伦时代对预弯系统的研究很少。最近一项针对古巴比伦时期的预弯病的综合研究发表于60年前（Cocquerillat 1955）。从那时起，许多楔形文字文献被出版，新的研究方法被开发出来，特别是根据档案对来源进行分析。该项目的目的是在所有出版的古巴比伦记录的基础上，系统地分析古巴比伦时期的前置制度，同时考虑到家庭和档案关系。分析将集中在预弯对社会，法律，经济，政治和宗教的重要性。起点将是尼普尔市，几个世纪以来，它一直是美索不达米亚南部最重要的宗教中心。尼普尔的结果将与巴比伦其他城市，特别是西帕尔、伊辛、拉尔萨和乌尔的情况进行比较。第一步也是最重要的一步是汇编尼普尔的地主及其家庭的族谱。通过这种体貌学，人们可以收集关于谁可以拥有、让渡和获得预弯曲以及在何种情况下获得预弯曲的知识；在这些附属物所属的家族中；与他们交往的人，例如通过婚姻或贸易；先民在社会中的地位，以及将他们定义为社会群体的因素。人们将获得关于预曲作为商品的重要性的基本见解，预曲收入的性质，例如来自维持领域，政治和经济危机期间预曲贸易的增加，以及寺庙中预曲系统的组织。该主题将在美索不达米亚社会历史、经济史、法律历史和宗教历史领域的不同方面进行调查。因此，这项研究的结果将在许多方面具有重要意义。

The term "prebend" in Ancient Near Eastern studies designates the right to an income from the temple in return for services in the cult of the gods. According to cuneiform sources from Mesopotamia these services included surveillance and maintenance of temple buildings as well as the preparation and presentation of offerings. The prebendal income for these services could - as far as we know - consist of sustenance fields, surplus raw materials, or remains of offerings. As remuneration of the temple personal involved in the cult prebends are an important element within the temple economy, and prebendaries constitute a notable and influential part of the Mesopotamian society.Relevant evidence - i.e. administrative and legal documents, and to some extent descriptions of rituals - is mainly known from the Old Babylonian period (2000-1600 BC) as well as from Neo-Babylonian and Seleucid times (1st millennium BC). While there are numerous studies on prebends in the later periods, studies on the prebendary system in Old Babylonian times are rare. The most recent comprehensive study focussing on prebends in the Old Babylonian period was published 60 years ago (Cocquerillat 1955). Since then many cuneiform documents have been published and new research approaches have been developed, notably the analysis of the sources according to archives.The aim of the project is a systematic analysis of the prebendary system in the Old Babylonian period on the basis of all published Old Babylonian records while taking into consideration familial and archival relations. The analysis will focus on the importance of prebends for society, law, economy, politics and religion. The starting point will be the city of Nippur, which was over centuries the most important religious centre of southern Mesopotamia. The results from Nippur will be compared with the situation in other cities of Babylonia, especially Sippar, Isin, Larsa, and Ur.The first and most important step consists of the compilation of a prosopography of the prebendaries and their families in Nippur. By means of this prosopography one can assemble knowledge of who could own, alienate, and acquire prebends and under which circumstances; of the families to which the prebendaries belonged; of the people with whom they interacted, e.g. through marriage or trade; of the status prebendaries had within the society, and the factors which defined them as a social group. One will gain fundamental insights in the importance of prebends as merchandise, the nature of the prebendary income, e.g. from sustenance fields, the increasing trade in prebends during periods of politic and economic crisis, and the organization of the prebendal system in the temples.The subject will be investigated under different aspects within the fields of Mesopotamian social history, economic history, history of law, and history of religion. Therefore, the results from this research will be of importance in many respects.