From the documents of Kakkullanu we learn, among other things, that he owned a house in Nineveh, and in 630* he extended this house by buying a "toolshed" (bīt akkulli) measuring 43x25 cubits (c. 250m2! )[[11]], next to his house. The outbuilding included a well and bordered the house of Il-mananî, horse trainer, and two streets (no. 35). The size of the "toolshed'" is impressive, but judging by the high sale price, three minas and 30 shekels of silver, and by the fact that the measurements are given at all, we have no reason to doubt that it is correct. The translation "toolshed" obviously does not convey the full meaning of this word, and the translation outbuilding is used here.[[12]]
In 625*, Kakkullanu further extended his property, possibly the same house as in 630*, with the purchase of the neighbouring house from Šarru-lu-dari, horse trainer of the chief eunuch of the crown prince. For the fully built house with its roof beams, six doors, a well and a barn (talpittu), he paid two minas of silver (no. 40).
In 617*, he bought another house with four doors for half a mina of silver in SAG URU.NINA.KI (no. 47). If our view of the order of the post-canonical eponyms is correct, this cannot be his original house. Nos. 53 and 54 may be yet further house purchases of Kakkullanu.
Outside Nineveh, Kakkullanu owned landed property in several locations. His largest holdings were in Bit-Abu-ila'i, where Kakkullanu acquired in all 25.5 hectares in 29 plots during the years 625*-623* (nos. 42, 44 and 45). Out of this total, 5.5 hectares were leased. In fact, we know that he must have owned more land than this in the area, because none of the known documents represent his first purchase there, the acquired plots being always situated next to an existing property of his. Neighbours in Bit-Abu-ila'i include the cohort commanders Kiṣir-Aššur and Ubru-Nabû. Unfortunately, Bit-Abu-ila'i is attested only in the Kakkullanu documents and its exact geographical location is not known.[[13]]
In Qurubi, also of unknown location, Kakkullanu leased 20 hectares in at least four separate plots, a house, a threshing floor, orchard, meadow, and a well in 625* (no. 41). Near the village of Ṭab[ ... ], he purchased land for half a mina of silver in 624* (no. 43).
In addition, Kakkullanu owned vineyards in Appuni and Irbu. In Irbu, he acquired a complete vineyard with two persons for three minas of silver (no. 36). In Appuni, he extended his garden by buying an adjacent vineyard for 1.5 minas of silver (no. 46).
A special feature of Kakkullanu's slave purchases is that he buys women as wives for three of his servants, for Tarhunazi (no. 34), for Ululayu (no. 37) and for Urdu-Nabû (no. 38).[[14]]
In all, Kakkullanu acquired, in addition to several houses in Nineveh. 45.5 hectares in 33 plots in at least 5 different locations, a garden, two vineyards and several slaves. Silver involved in the known transactions amounts to 17.5 minas 21 shekels. The phrasing of the contravention clause used in his purchase documents tells us that Kakkullanu was not a eunuch.
11 The Neo-Assyrian cubit is here calculated as 48 cm in accordance with J. N. Postgate, Fifty Neo-Assyrian Legal Documents (Warminster 1976), 71.
12 The translation of toolshed, "Geräteschuppen," for bēt akkulli was suggested by Radner in SAAS 6, 264. The other attestation of this word is in no. 149.
13 The village of Bit-Abu-ila'i has been studied by F. M. Fales in two articles "II villaggio assiro Bit Abu-Ila'a," Dialoghi di archeologia 3 (1981) 66-84 and "The Assyrian Village of Bit Abu-Ila'a" in C. Zaccagnini (ed.). Production and Consumption in the Ancient Near East (Budapest 1989) 169-200.
14 Buying female servants as wives is unusual; in addition to the three Kakkullanu documents only one other document of this nature, no. 218, is known. See Radner, SAAS 6, 169f.
Raija Mattila
Raija Mattila, 'Kakkullanu', Legal Transactions of the Royal Court of Nineveh, Part II: Assurbanipal Through Sin-šarru-iškun, SAA 14. Original publication: Helsinki, Helsinki University Press, 2002; online contents: SAAo/SAA14 Project, a sub-project of MOCCI, 2021 [http://oracc.org/saao/saa14/CrownPrince'sEstablishment/Kakkullanu/]