“Buying a home”, paleo-Babylonian (1750 BCE). This is a contract for the sale of a house purchased by Mannum-Balu-Šamaš at the price of 1/3 shekel and 15 grains of silver. The text is repeated on the envelope: in the event of a dispute, this was broken to inspect the internal document [1920×1080]

This is my favourite artefact in the Museo Reale, Turin, Italy.

The full description given by the museum is as follows:

“Buying a home”, paleo-Babylonian, 32nd year of Hammurabi’s reign, 10th month (1750 BCE). This text records a contract for the sale of a house purchased by Mannum-Balu-Šamaš at the price of 1/3 shekel and 15 grains of silver. this is followed by the names of the numerous witnesses present including the mayor Sîn-Māgir and the courier Apil-ilišu. The same text is repeated on the envelope: in the event of a dispute, this was broken to inspect the internal document.