A day in the life of an ancient Babylonian business mogul - Soraya Field Fiorio

譯者: Lilian Chiu 審譯者: Helen Chang

As dawn breaks in the Babylonian city of Sippar,

在巴比倫城市西爾帕，天剛破曉，

Beltani receives an urgent visit from her brother.

貝爾塔妮的哥哥就急著來找她。

It’s 1762 B.C.E., during the reign of King Hammurabi.

這一年是西元前 1762 年，

在位的國王是漢摩拉比。

Beltani is a naditu— a priestess and businesswoman,

貝爾塔妮是「納迪圖」——

女祭師及女商人，

promised to the temple at birth.

在出生時就被許諾給神殿。

At puberty, she changed her name

青春期時，她改了名字，

and gained her elevated naditu status in a ceremony where a priest

透過儀式取得了崇高的納迪圖身分，

儀式中，祭師會檢視 獻祭動物的內臟來看出預示。

examined the entrails of a sacrificed animal for omens.

The naditu are an esteemed group drawn from Babylonia’s most affluent families.

納迪圖很受敬重，

成員都來自巴比倫最富裕的家庭。

Though the rules are different for naditu in each city,

雖然在每個城市中納迪圖 要遵守的規定不同，

in Sippar they are celibate and never marry.

在西帕爾，她們要單身，不可結婚。

They live inside the gagum, a walled area inside the temple complex,

她們住在加貢裡面，

加貢是神殿中用牆圍起來的一塊區域，

but are free to come and go, and receive visitors.

但可以自由來去，且可以接待訪客。

Beltani owns barley fields and a tavern.

貝爾塔妮擁有大麥田和一間小酒館。

Her brother manages these businesses while she fulfils her duties as a priestess.

這些生意由她哥哥來管理，

她則要履行女祭師的職責。

This morning, he makes a troubling accusation:

今天早上，他提出了 讓人煩惱的指控：

her tavern keeper has been diluting wine with water.

她的小酒館經理人 一直把水摻在酒裡稀釋。

If true, this means she’s been undermining the business Beltani relies on

若真是如此，她就是 一直在破壞這事業，

而貝爾塔妮還得靠這事業養老呢。

to sustain her in old age.

But the consequences would be even higher for the tavern keeper:

但小酒館經理人會遭受的後果更糟：

the punishment of diluting wine is death by drowning.

將酒稀釋的懲罰是淹死。

The temple court is meeting this afternoon.

神殿法庭下午要開會。

Beltani has just a few short hours

貝爾塔妮只有短短幾個小時

to find out whether there’s any truth to these allegations.

可以查明這些指控當中有多少事實。

But she can’t go to the tavern to investigate.

但她不能去小酒館調查。

Taverns are off limits for priestesses, even priestesses who own them.

女祭師不可進入小酒館，

就算身為小酒館的老闆也一樣。

She could be burned to death for entering.

光是進入小酒館就可能 讓她被火刑燒死。

So she sends for the tavern keeper to meet her at the temple of Shamash,

所以她派人去請小酒館經理人 到沙瑪什神殿和她碰面，

the patron god of Sippar.

沙瑪什是西爾帕的守護神。

The temple is a stepped pyramid called a ziggurat,

該神殿是有階梯的金字塔， 稱為金字神塔，

in the heart of the city and visible from twenty miles away.

位在城市的心臟地帶， 從二十哩外就看得見。

It symbolically connects heaven and earth

它象徵著天堂和地球的連結，

and is viewed as the literal home of the god Shamash,

且被視為是天神沙瑪什的家，

who gave humanity the code of laws

他給予人類法典，

and is the judge of the Babylonian pantheon.

且是巴比倫諸神當中的判官。

Beltani leaves an offering of bread and sesame oil in a private room.

貝爾塔妮在一間私人房間中 留下麵包和芝麻油當作祭品。

She never enters the inner chamber of the temple where the god lives,

她不會進入到神所居住的內房間，

a place so holy only high priestesses and kings visit.

內房間非常神聖， 只有大祭司和國王可以參訪。

Outside, worshippers play music and leave gifts,

在外面，崇拜者會 演奏音樂並留下禮物，

which are later collected and used to feed temple workers, including the naditu.

這些禮物後續會被收集起來， 提供給神殿工作人員，

包括納迪圖在內。

The tavern keeper is waiting with grim news.

小酒館經理人帶著 殘酷的消息在等著。

She says Beltani’s brother has been altering the weights

她說，貝爾塔妮的哥哥一直在改變

用來測量付款金額的 砝碼，欺騙客人。

used to measure payments to cheat customers.

When the tavern keeper confronted him,

當小酒館經理人和他對質時，

he falsely accused her of watering down the wine.

他便誣告她將酒稀釋。

If true, Beltani’s brother is the dishonest one—

若真是如此，那麼，貝爾塔妮的 哥哥才是不誠實的人——

and altering weights is another crime punishable by death.

而改變砝碼也是可以判死刑的罪行。

Beltani is running out of time to get to the bottom of this.

貝爾塔妮快要沒時間 可以弄清真相了。

Though she can’t go to the tavern,

雖然她無法前往小酒館，

she can check on the barley fields her brother manages

她可以去視察她哥哥管理的大麥田，

to see if he’s been honest there.

看看他在那裡有沒有誠實。

In the granary, she sees much more grain than he reported to her.

在穀倉裡，她看到的穀物 比他呈報給她的還多。

He’s been cheating her out of her share.

他一直在偷拿她的份。

Like all naditu in Sippar,

和西爾帕所有的納迪圖一樣，

Beltani inherited the same portion of her father’s property as her brother.

貝爾塔妮從父親那裡繼承到的資產

和她哥哥均等。

These were rare circumstances for women in a time and place

在資產透過男性傳承的時代和地方，

where property passed through men.

這種情況對女性而言很罕見。

Still, their families didn’t always honor their rights.

不過，他們的家人不見得 會承認他們的權利。

Although naditu traditionally went into business with male relatives,

雖然，傳統上，納迪圖 會和男性親戚合夥做生意，

the law stated they can choose someone else

法律規定，如果她們的 兄弟或叔伯不適任，

if their brothers or uncles weren’t up to the task.

也可以改選別人。

With the evidence she needs, she hurries to court.

得到必要的證據後，她趕往法庭。

A judge presides over the temple court along with two naditu—

主持神殿法庭的是 一位法官和兩位納迪圖——

the overseer of the gagum and a scribe.

加貢的監督者和一名抄寫員。

Beltani asks to remove her brother as her business manager,

貝爾塔妮請求革除她哥哥 管理她生意的經理職位，

citing the granary as evidence that he is mismanaging her properties.

她引用穀倉當作證據， 說明他沒有好好管理她的資產。

The judge grants her request.

法官核准了她的請求。

The scribe records the new contract in cuneiform into a wet clay tablet,

抄寫員用楔形文字記錄了新的合約，

寫在一片濕泥板上，此事就宣告解決。

and the matter is settled.

She's protected her income and spared her brother’s life

她保住了她的收入， 也饒了她哥哥一命，

by withholding the true extent of his crimes.

沒有供出他的全部罪行。

Perhaps it is time to adopt a younger priestess:

也許該是挑選 更年輕的祭師的時候了：

someone to take care of her in old age and inherit her property,

這個人選要能在她年邁時照顧她，

並繼承她的資產，

who might do a better job of helping with her business.

且可能更能協助她的事業。