The real estate records from the so-called Tehip-tilla house in Nuzi
comprise a private archive. The functions of this archive are described
in the present article. One function w that of the catalog, to keep
track of the many real properties acquired by members of ih family. The
nature of the tablets implies, however, that this function was secondary
The and quantity of documentation preserved in the archive suggest that
the primary function of both the individual tablet and archive was
legal, to demonstrate before the judiciary and other parties outside the
family circle that real estate entered that circle legally or changed
hands within the family by means other than normal inheritance. This
function accounts for five characteristics of the archive. 1) Records of
acquisition are highly detailed and drawn up at the time of
acquisition2) Tablets most usually record one transaction each. If the
land described were to be subsequently realienated, the appropriate
tablet could thus conveniently be transferred with the property3Real
estate tablets mentioning no member of the Tehip-tilla family are found
in the family's archive. In light of 2), these represent non-current
land records acquired by the family members when they acquired real
estate with a prior history of alienation. 4No records of alienation of
real estate are found in the archive. Such records would be inconsistent
with the archive's main function5) Records of real estate litigation are
common and attest to family ownership of real property. Therefore, all
such records commissioned describe the family's legal victories. The
legal function of archival tablets is itself legal victories. The legal
function of archival tablets is itself propertyTherefore, all such
records commissioned describe the family's legal victories. The legal
function of archival tablets is itself described in these court
accounts. The primary function of the archive, to buttress the family's
claims to real estate against outside challenge, failed to protect
individual members against claims by their own relatives. This led to
intra-family disputes.
