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

在古代近东研究中，“prebend”一词指的是从寺庙获得收入的权利，以换取对神的崇拜。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祭品。据我们所知，这些服务的预付收入可能包括维持生计的田地、剩余的原材料或祭品的遗骸。作为报酬的寺庙个人参与邪教prebends是一个重要因素内的寺庙经济，和prebendaries构成了一个显着的和有影响力的一部分，美索不达米亚社会。有关证据-即行政和法律的文件，在某种程度上是对仪式的描述--主要是在古巴比伦时期（公元前2000-1600年），以及从新巴比伦和塞琉古时代（公元前一千年）。虽然对后期的prebends有很多研究，但对古巴比伦时期的prebendary系统的研究却很少。最近的一项综合性研究集中在60年前发表的古巴比伦时期的prebends（Cocquerillat 1955）。从那时起，许多楔形文字文献被出版，新的研究方法也被开发出来，特别是根据档案分析资料来源。该项目的目的是在所有已出版的古巴比伦记录的基础上，同时考虑到家族和档案关系，对古巴比伦时期的prebendary制度进行系统分析。分析的重点将放在社会，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，它是美索不达米亚南部最重要的宗教中心。尼普尔的研究结果将与巴比伦其他城市的情况进行比较，特别是锡帕尔、伊辛、拉尔萨和乌尔。第一步也是最重要的一步是汇编尼普尔的prebendaries及其家庭的人学。通过这种人学，人们可以收集关于谁可以拥有、转让和获得牧师以及在何种情况下的知识;牧师所属的家庭;他们与之互动的人，例如通过婚姻或贸易;牧师在社会中的地位，以及将他们定义为一个社会群体的因素。人们将获得基本的见解在prebends作为商品的重要性，prebendary收入的性质，例如从维持领域，在政治和经济危机时期prebendary贸易的增加，以及prebendal系统在寺庙的组织。该主题将在美索不达米亚社会史，经济史，法律史，和宗教史。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.