Pap. Cairo EM JdE 37110
Document of Wifehood
TAD B.2.06
Metadata
- Collection
- Egyptian Museum, Cairo, Egypt | EM (Public)
- Genres
-
- Legal (Content)
- Contract
- wifehood
- marriage
- Language
- Aramaic
- Script
- Aramaic
- Find Type
- Unprovenanced: Purchase
- Acquired
- A.H. Sayce [≤ 1907]
- Created by
- James D. Moore
- Material
- papyrus
- Text Direction Side 1
- perpendicular (⟂) to the material's lines
- Updated by
- James D. Moore, 2026-01-18
- References
-
- Cowley, A. E. (Arthur Ernest) and Robarts - University of Toronto 1923. Cowley 15.
- Lepper, Verena M. et al. . ERC 308130.
- Porten, Bezalel and Yardeni, Ada 1986. TAD B.2.06.
- Sayce, A. H. et al. 1906. Sayce and Cowley G.
Cowley, A. E. (Arthur Ernest). Aramaic Papyri of the Fifth Century B.C. Oxford : Clarendon Press, 1923. https://archive.org/stream/aramaicpapyrioff00ahikuoft#page/124/mode/2up.
“Localizing 4,000 Years of Cultural History. Texts and Scripts from Elephantine Island in Egypt. ERC Grant ID: 637692,” n.d. TBA.
Porten, Bezalel, and Ada Yardeni. Textbook of Aramaic Documents from Ancient Egypt. 4 vols. Jerusalem: Hebrew University, 1986.
Sayce, A. H., and Arthur E. Cowley. Aramaic Papyri Discovered at Assuan. Edited by Seymour de Ricci. London: Moring, 1906.
Text and Translation
Choose alternative texts and translations from the filter. Click individual words in a text for more details.
James Moore
James Moore
On the 24th [of] Tishri, [that is day] 6 of the month of Epeiph, [y]ear [16 of Artaxerx]es [the] king,
said ˀEsḥôr son of Ṣeḥ[aˀ], a builder of the king, to Maḥ[seyah, an A]ramean of Syene of the detachment of
Varyazata, saying: I [c]ame to your house (and asked you) to give me your daughter Mipṭaḥyah for wifehood.
She is my wife and I am her husband from this day and forever. I gave you (as) mohar for
your daughter Mipṭaḥyah: [silver], 5 shekels by the stone(-weight)s of [the] king. It came into you and your heart was satisfied
herein. [Your daughter] Mipṭaḥyah brought in to me in (ERASURE: your) her hand: silver money 1 karsh /2 shekels\ by the stone(-weight)s of
the king, silver 2 q(uarters) to the 10. She brought into me in her hand: 1 new garment of wool, striped
with dye doubly-well; it was (in) length 8 cubits by 5 (in width), worth (in) silver 2 karsh /8\ shekels
by the stone(-weight)s of the king; 1 new SHAWL; it was (in) length 8 cubits by 5 (in width), equal to
silver 8 shekels by the stone(-weight)s of the king; another garment of wool, FINELY-WOVEN; it was
(in) length 6 cubits by 4 (in width), worth (in) silver 7 shekels; 1 mirror of bronze, equal to
silver 1 shekel, 2 q(uarters); 1 bowl of bronze, equal to silver 1 shekel, 2 q(uarters); 2 cups of bronze,
equal to silver 2 shekels; 1 jug of bronze, equal to silver 2 q(uarters). All the silver
and the value of the goods is silver 6 karsh, 5 shekel, 20 hallurs (at the rate of) silver 2 q(uarters) to the 10 by the stone(-weight)s of
the king. It came into me and my heart was satisfied herein. 1 bed of papyrus-reed on which are INLAYS,
of stone, 4; 1 TRAY of slq; 2 ladles; 1 new BOX of palm-leaf; 5 handfuls of castor oil; 1 PAIR of sandals.
Tomorrow or (the) n[ex]t day, should ˀEsḥôr die not
having (17) a child, male or female, (18) from Mipṭa[ḥ]yah his wife, it is Mipṭaḥyah (who) has right to the house
of ˀEsḥôr and [hi]s goods and his property and all that he has on the face of the earth,
all of it. Tomorrow or (the next) day, should Mipṭaḥyah die not
having (20) a child, male or female, (21) from ˀEsḥôr her husband, it is ˀEsḥôr (who) shall inherit from her her goods
and her property. Tomorrow o[r] (the) next day, should Mipṭaḥyah stand up in an assembly
and say: “I hated ˀEsḥôr my husband,” silver of hatred is on her head. She shall PLACE UPON
the balance-scale and weigh out to ˀEsḥôr silver, 6[+1] (= 7) shekels, 2 q(uarters), and all that she brought in
in her hand she shall take out, from straw to string, and go away wherever she desires, without
suit or without process. Tomorrow or (the) next day, should ˀEsḥôr stand up in an assembly
and say: “I hated my [wif]e Mipṭaḥyah,” her mohar [will be] lost and all that she brought in
in her hand she shall take out, from straw to string, on one day in one stroke, and go
away wherever she desires, without suit or without process. And [who]ever shall stand up against Mipṭaḥyah
to expel her from the house of ˀEsḥôr and his goods and his property, shall give her
silver, 20 karsh, and do to her the law of this document. And I shall not be able to say:
“I have another wife besides Mipta(h)iah and other children besides the children whom
Mipṭaḥyah shall bear to me.” If I say: “I have other chi[ldren] and wife besides
Mipṭaḥyah and her children,” I shall give to Mipṭaḥyah silver, 20 karsh by the stone(-weight)s of
the king. And I shall not be able to RE[LEASE] my goods and my property from Mipṭaḥyah. And should I remove them
from her (ERASURE: in accordance with [this] document but), I shall give to Mipṭaḥyah [silve]r, 20 karsh by the stone(-weight)s of the king.
Wrote Natan son of ˁAnanyah [this document at the instruction of ˀEsḥôr]. And the witnesses herein:
(1st hand) Penûlyah son of Yezanyah; (2nd hand) [...]yah son of ˀAḥyô; (3rd hand) Menaḥem son of [Za]kkûr;
39(4th hand) witness: Wyzblw [ …]
Moore, James D.. 'Pap. Cairo EM JdE 37110.' DEAPS. 12 Dec, 2025. https://deaps.osu.edu/text_objects/12368. Accessed: 20 Jan, 2026.