This dossier gathers and analyzes the data on prices of sesame seeds and sesame oil in the Ur III period. The available data point to a significant drop in prices during the reigns of Amar-Suena (AS.01.- AS.07.) and Šu-Suen (ŠS.04 – ŠS.06) as well as a significant rise – about 6 times higher – during the reign of Ibbi-Suen (IS.07 – IS.08). The latter was in connection with major political changes during the last decades of the Ur III kingdom.

1. The price of sesame seeds

Prices of sesame seeds are documented only for the reigns of Šulgi, Amar-Suena and Šu-Suen. During this period of time one could purchase between 60 and 75 litres (40.8 to 51 kg) of sesame seeds (še-ĝeš-i3[glossary=še-ĝeš-i3]) for one giĝ (8.3 g) of silver (see graph below). In the year AS.05 a significant drop in price is attested in an unprovenanced document (possibly Ĝaršana): 100 litres (68 kg) of sesame seeds per one giĝ (8.3 g) of silver (CUSAS 06 1531).

The prices occur in administrative texts, often in balanced accounts on sesame or sesame fields and sometimes in receipts concerning the sale of sesame seeds. These texts are rarely dated with month names, so seasonal variations cannot be detected. Nevertheless, in at least in two cases it is clear that silver was credited to the account of the Umma provincial administration either as revenue or in lieu of sesame seeds (Nebraska 44 r. ii 29-30; UCP 9/2/1 078 r. 5). Furthermore, Ne.ne, undoubtedly the „scribe of oil (matters)“ (dub-sar i3), paid silver to Enua, very likely the „scribe of silver (matters)“ (dub-sar ku3(-ga)) as repaid arrears of sesame seeds for the provincial administration of Irisaĝrig (CUSAS 40/2 0871 o. 2). This confirms that silver was circulating among various social strata and sometimes obligations to the central administration were preferentially fulfilled in silver rather than with the expected amounts of sesame seeds. Or, put differently, sesame seeds likely represented a better source of income if sold for silver, rather than given to the central administration as its due share (see Dossier A.1.1.05 §4).

Commentary

Nisaba 15/2 0566, IS.01.02.00

This text registers the receipt of sesame seeds by an individual, probably a merchant, with indication of their price in silver. On the one hand, the corresponding amount of silver given in line o. 2 is epigraphically uncertain. On the other hand, the text is published only in transliteration and neither a handcopy nor photos are available to collate the line. If we follow the edition, then in the year Ibbi-Suen 1, 1 sila/litre of sesame seeds cost 0.6 giĝ of silver or 1 giĝ of silver bought 1.7 litres of sesame seeds. This price would be 46 times higher than the price of sesame seeds at the end of the reign of Šu-Suen. The price of sesame oil rose up to 6 times higher during the reign of Ibbi-Suen, but not more. Therefore, the price of sesame seeds attested on this tablet is to be regarded as inconclusive until the relevant line can be collated.

Nisaba 26 094, AS.06.00

This text registers the account of the „left over of the personnel“ (la2-ni lu2 niĝ2-dab5-ba-ke4-ne) in the districts of Apisal, Guedina and Mušbiana. It lists an amount of sesame seeds indicating its corresponding amount of silver (o. ii 18 – r. i 1). On the one hand, the corresponding amount of silver given on line r. i 1 is much too small, so that a giĝ of silver would have bought 1,931 litres of sesame seeds. On the other hand, the text is published only in transliteration and neither a handcopy nor photos are available to collate the passage. Therefore, the price of sesame seeds attested on this tablet is to be regarded as inconclusive until the relevant line can be collated.

2. The price of sesame oil

The price of sesame oil (i3-ĝeš[glossary=i3-ĝeš]) is documented by many more attestations dated from the reign of Šulgi until the reign of Ibbi-Suen. The major part of these attestations belong to the expenditures section („it is expended out of it“ ša3-bi-ta … zi-ga-am3) of balanced accounts on Umma merchants that supplied the central administration with sesame oil. On the relationship between sesame and silver in the Umma province and the role of merchants see Dossier A.1.1.05.

For one giĝ (8.3 g) of silver one could obtain 6 to 15 litres (4 to 10.2 kg) of sesame oil (see graph below). A constant drop in prices is attested by Umma’s merchants accounts during the reign of Amar-Suena (AS.01-AS.07) until its peak in the years ŠS.04-06. The one time rise in the year AS.09 is attested only once in the balanced account of the Inana temple in Nippur. This text is published only in transliteration and neither a handcopy nor photos are available to verify – and if necessary to collate – the passage (BBVO 11 257 4N-T197 r. iii 17-18).  Due to political and economic struggles during the reign of Ibbi-Suen, the price of sesame oil rose by about 4.8 times, i.e., one could only buy 2.5 litres (1.7 kg) of oil with one giĝ (8.3 g) of silver (Waetzoldt 1985: 81-82).

The price of aromatized (du10-ga) sesame oil is only attested once in Umma in the year Šu.40 and indicates that it was significantly more expensive than standard sesame oil (AUCT 2 173 o. 5-6, r. 1-2).

Waetzoldt (1985: 82) pointed out that “Vergleicht man nun den Preis der Körner mit dem des Öls, so ergibt sich meist eine Relation von 1:5 oder 20%. Das bedeutet, dass die Körner nur 1/5 des Öls kosten oder anders ausgedrückt, der Wert der Körner bestimmte sich durch den Ölgehalt, denn wir haben ja gerade festgestellt, dass man aus den Körnern Ca. 20% Öl gewinnen konnte“ (English: „if one compares the price of the seeds with that of the oil, there usually results a ratio of 1:5 or 20%. This means that the seeds cost only 1/5 of the oil or, in other words, the value of the seeds was determined by the oil percentage, because (…) from the seeds it was possible to obtain about 20% oil”).

Commentary

AUCT 2 163

Line o. 2, with indication of the price, is to be read as follows: „its silver 1 〈giĝ〉 minus 22.5 še 〈〈giĝ〉〉 of silver“ ku3-be2 1 〈giĝ4〉 la2 22.5 še 〈〈giĝ4〉〉 ku3-babbar, i.e. 157.5 še.

Nisaba 15/2 1120, 00.00.05.00, Umma region.

This text is only published in transliteration and neither a handcopy nor photos are available to collate the unclear passages.

The price of sesame oil in lines o. 5 – r. 1 features an unclear formulation on line o. 6: „its silver 3 … še“ (ku3-be2 3 igi še). The price indicated on r. 1 with 20 še per one litre of sesame oil is in line with the prices attested in the years Šu.40-43 and AS.08. The online database CDLI (P454238, https://cdli.ucla.edu/search/search_results.php?SearchMode=Text&ObjectID=P454238, last accessed 31.08.2021) offers an attempted interpretation, reading line o. 6 as follows: „its silver: oil of the sort 10 – 1 (?) (sila per giĝ)“ ku3-be2 i3^?! 10 la2 1 (sila per giĝ), indicating the corresponding litres of sesame oil per one giĝ. This interpretation is, however, highly speculative and not without problems; therefore the meaning of line o. 6 must still remain unclear in this regard.

Line lo. ed. 1 may be interpreted as given by the edition: „2 sila (litres) of aromatized sesame oil, (its silver) 11 še“ (2 sila3 i3-ĝeš du11-ga / 11 še) or as „2 sila (litres) of aromatized sesame oil (of the sort) 11 sila (litres per giĝ)“ (2 sila3 i3-ĝeš du11-ga / 11-kam), as suggested in the online database CDLI (P454238, https://cdli.ucla.edu/search/search_results.php?SearchMode=Text&ObjectID=P454238, last accessed 31.08.2021). Both interpretations result in similar prices, though only the second one fits with the total amount of silver given in line le.ed. 1 (5 ½ giĝ). Therefore the second interpretation is to be preferred. In any case, it results in two different prices of scented sesame oil in the same text (see summarizing table below).

NATN 160, […].00.00, Nippur

This is an account of sesame oil, scented sesame oil and butter with indication of their prices and of their addressee, sometimes an individual, a cultic place, or deities. The lack of a specific administrative term does not allow the identification of the transaction in greater detail. The total of „scented oil/fat“ (i3 du10-ga) in line o. 7 exactly matches the sum of the individual amounts listed in lines o. 1 – 6 only if line o. 6 is read as follows: „½ sila: Niĝar“ (½ sila3 niĝar^ĝar). Moreover, the price registered in line r. 1-3 poses some problems. R. 3 could refer to both the amounts registered in the previous two lines r. 1-2, though only r. 1 clearly indicates an amount of sesame oil. Line r. 2 instead registers another unidentified substance measured in litres, though not sesame oil. Therefore, the price given in line r. 3 cannot have referred alone and beyond any doubt to the amount of sesame oil registered in line r. 1. The price indication therefore remains inconclusive.

Amherst 050

This text was quoted by Waetzoldt cite key=“20936″ f=“year“ p=“93″] as a source for an indication of price, yet no price is documented here.