The Oldest Code of Laws in the World | Page 6

money to return, the sesame, according to its
market price for the money and its interest which he took from the
merchant, according to the standard fixed by the king, he shall give to
the merchant.
section 52. If the cultivator has not caused corn or sesame to grow in
the field, he shall not alter his bonds.
section 53. If a man has neglected to strengthen his bank of the canal,
has not strengthened his bank, a breach has opened out itself in his
bank, and the waters have carried away the meadow, the man in whose
bank the breach has been opened shall render back the corn which he
has caused to be lost.
section 54. If he is not able to render back the corn, one shall give him
and his goods for money, and the people of the meadow whose corn the
water has carried away shall share it.
section 55. If a man has opened his runnel to water and has neglected it,
and the field of his neighbour the waters have carried away, he shall
pay corn like his neighbour.
section 56. If a man has opened the waters, and the plants of the field of
his neighbour the waters have carried away, he shall pay ten GUR of
corn per GAN.
section 57. If a shepherd has caused the sheep to feed on the green corn,
has not come to an agreement with the owner of the field, without the
consent of the owner of the field has made the sheep feed off the field,
the owner shall reap his fields, the shepherd who without consent of the
owner of the field has fed off the field with sheep shall give over and
above twenty GUR of corn per GAN to the owner of the field.
section 58. If from the time that the sheep have gone up from the
meadow, and the whole flock has passed through the gate, the shepherd
has laid his sheep on the field and has caused the sheep to feed off the

field, the shepherd who has made them feed off the field one shall
watch, and at harvest time he shall measure out sixty GUR of corn per
GAN to the owner of the field.
section 59. If a man without the consent of the owner of the orchard has
cut down a tree in a man's orchard, he shall pay half a mina of silver.
section 60. If a man has given a field to a gardener to plant a garden
and the gardener has planted the garden, four years he shall rear the
garden, in the fifth year the owner of the garden and the gardener shall
share equally, the owner of the garden shall cut off his share and take it.
section 61. If the gardener has not included all the field in the planting,
has left a waste place, he shall set the waste place in the share which he
takes.
section 62. If the field which has been given him to plant he has not
planted as a garden, if it was corn land, the gardener shall measure out
corn to the owner of the field, like its neighbour, as produce of the field
for the years that are neglected, and he shall do the ordered work on the
field and return to the owner of the field.
section 63. If the field was unreclaimed land, he shall do the ordered
work on the field and return it to the owner of the field and measure out
ten GUR of corn per GAN for each year.
section 64. If a man has given his garden to a gardener to farm, the
gardener as long as he holds the garden shall give to the owner of the
garden two-thirds from the produce of the garden, and he himself shall
take one-third.
section 65. If the gardener does not farm the garden and has diminished
the yield, he shall measure out the yield of the garden like its
neighbour.
NOTE.--Here five columns of the monument have been erased, only
the commencing characters of column xvii. being visible. The subjects
of this last part included the further enactments concerning the rights

and duties of gardeners, the whole of the regulations concerning houses
let to tenants, and the relationships of the merchant to his agents, which
continue on the obverse of the monument. [See page 58.] Scheil
estimates the lost portion at 35 sections, and following him we
recommence with
section 100. . . . the interests of the money, as much as he took, he shall
write down, and when he has numbered his days he shall answer his
merchant.
section 101. If where he has gone he has not seen prosperity, he shall
make up