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Marriage Contract
Kültepe (Kaniş)
Middle Bronze Age, Assyrian Colony Period;
First quarter of 2nd mill B.C.
Language: old Assyrian
Baked clay
Tablet h. 5.5 cm. w:5.5cm. th:2.7 cm.

Istanbul Archeological Museums, Ka. 165

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Light cream-coloured envelope, unopened. Probably contains a tablet inside. The document appears to be concerned with a marriage contract, but the real topic is a house belonging to both of them. The document displays the seals of the married couple themselves and three witnesses:

Zabarasna took Kulziya to his married wife. The house is their common property. It is their common property in wealth and poverty. If Zabarasna should divorce Kulziya, the house will be divided between them. When they die, the house will belong to Histahsusar and Peruwa.

The major topics of the marriage contracts seen on the Kültepe tablets are concerned with matters such as having a child, not taking another wife, etc. In this document it is not even clear who took whom. Since the real topic of this document is a house, it may be assumed that this is a case of two old people making a symbolic marriage and a home being provided for them. As the names of the two people who will inherit the house when they die are clearly stated, it may be assumed that the days of the old couple are numbered.

Donbaz 1989, 6,pl. 2:Bilgiç 1990,210;Istanbul 1983,l. A556.

 

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