Measuring crops with the šukunnûm-number

Abstract

Šamaš-hazir was the manager of the royal domain of Hammu-rabi, king of Babylon (1792-1750 BC), in southern Mesopotamia. Harvest registers and yield tables found in his archives take the form of tabular accounts in which an estimated yield rate is expressed by a number called šukunnûm. Although the šukunnûm-number is used to keep accounts of barley yield rates, it is never associated with a specific unit of measurement. In order to define the elaboration and the nature of the šukunnûm-number, this article will analyze its relation to surface and capacity units and its function in crop measurements.