THE BABYLONIAN EXPEDITION

FROM TIIE TEMPLE ARCHIVES OF NJPPUR. 31
"King," hut as be-li or "Lord." It must, however, be conceded here that at the
time of the Hammurabi - dynasty the title be-li was not exclusively used of a king. On
the contrary, several letters are known to us, written by persons calling themselves
"thy servant" (arcli-ka) and addressed to the ' 'Lord," where the title be-li expresses
nothing but the position of a "higher" with regard to a "lowerJ' person; i.e., where
be-li indicates simply the rank of the "master" as opposed to that of the "servant"
(anlu) .'
Again, when we examine the so-called Tell-Amarna letters (written at
about the same time as those published here) with regard to the usus loquendi
of the title "Lord," we find that both governors"nd kings" may he designated
by it.
The fact, however, that the title "Lord" might be and actually was used both
during the Hammurabi and the Amnrna periods as a title of the king is not yet proof
sufficient to warrant a conclusion that the he-li of our letters designates in each and
every case a king likewise. Such a conclusion must, in order to stand the closest
scrutiny and severest criticism, be absolutely beyond the pale of skepticism and
I Cf., eg., C. T., 11, p. 19 (Bu. 91-5-0, 29O), a-nn bc-l-io hi-bd-mo u,n-rnn Be-el-shii-nu mdi-ku-mo. C. T., 11,
p. 20 (Ru. 91-54, 291), a-na be-li-ia ki-bi-nin orn-7nn i'~llll-rr~-hi-mn (.sic! without nrili-lca-nla). C. T., 11, p. 18 (Ru.
91-6-9, 218,5), n-nn ba-ii-iu, ki-hd-rnn urn-ma ib-gn-lnm nrdi-lcn-mn. C. T., IV, p. 19 (nu. 88-8-12, 278), n-nn be-li-ia
ki-be-ma urn-mn ~r~li-~~~~l-~nush-lum-~nn
(witlrout nrdi-kn-ma!). C. ?'.,\'I, p. 27 (Hu. 91-6-0, 413), n-nn be-li-ili ki-bdma
z~r,,-mn Tcr-tu(?)-ur-mn-lum nmal(= GIN)-Ica-ma. C. T., VI, p. 32 (Ru. 01-5-0, 685), a-na be-?-;a I~idC-mr~ lim-ma
iluI;'N.~U-ta-in-a~-ma (nithont cwdi-lca-ma). Cf. nlso C. T., IV, p. 1 (nu. 88-6-12, 5), ki-nan be-li nl-fir ti-du-ti, with
C. T., 11, p. 20 (see nbovc), I. 4, &-ma bc-li i-du-0..
VCf.. eg., Amc~~no, U. 219, [a-na] amo'G"I, mlSIV-[in Ici-1~6-nzn urn-ma] Ba-PI(= ia)-di nrdi-[/in-vm], to ~vl.iiic!t
titlc Winckler, I