"The Code Of Hammurabi" - читать интересную книгу автора (Johns Rev Claude Hermann Walter)

give a receipt for what was handed over to him. Any false entry or
claim on the agent's part was penalised three-fold, on the principal's
part six-fold. In normal cases profits were divided according to
contract, usually equally.
A considerable amount of forwarding was done by the caravans.
The carrier gave a receipt for the consignment, took all
responsibility and exacted a receipt on delivery. If he defaulted he
paid five-fold. He was usually paid in advance. Deposit, especially
warehousing of grain, was charged for at one-sixtieth. The
warehouseman took all risks, paid double for all shortage, but no
claim could be made unless be had given a properly witnessed
receipt. Water traffic on the Euphrates and canals was early very
considerable. Ships, whose tonnage was estimated at the amount of
grain they could carry, were continually hired for the a transport
of all kinds of goods. The Code fixes the price for building and
insists on the builder's giving a year's guarantee of seaworthiness.
It fixes the hire of ship and of crew. The captain was responsible for
the freight and the ship; he had to replace all loss. Even if he
refloated the ship he had to pay a fine of half its value for
sinking it. In the case of collision the boat under way was
responsible for damages to the boat at anchor. The Code also regulated
the liquor traffic, fixing a fair price for beer and forbidding the
connivance of the tavern-keeper (a female!) at disorderly conduct or
treasonable assembly, under pain of death. She was to hale the
offenders to the palace, which implied an efficient and accessible
police system.
Payment through a banker or by written draft against deposit was
frequent. Bonds to pay were treated as negotiable. Interest a was
rarely charged on advances by the temple or wealthy land-owners for
pressing needs, but this may have been part of the metayer system. The
borrowers may have been tenants. Interest was charged at very high
rates for overdue loans of this kind. Merchants (and even temples in
some cases) made ordinary business loans, charging from 20 to 30%.
Marriage retained the form of purchase, but was essentially a
contract to be man and wife together. The marriage of young people was
usually arranged between the relatives, the bride- groom's father
providing the bride-price, which with other presents the suitor
ceremonially presented to the bride's father. This bride-price was
usually handed over by her father to the bride on her marriage, and so
came back into the bridegroom's possession, along with her dowry,
which was her portion as a daughter. The bride-price varied much,
according to the position of the parties, but was in excess of that
paid for a slave. The Code enacted that if the father does not,
after accepting a man's presents, give him his daughter, he, must
return the presents doubled. Even if his decision was brought about by
libel on the part of the suitor's friend this was done, and the Code
enacted that the faithless friend should not marry the girl. If a
suitor changed his mind, he forfeited the presents. The dowry might
include real estate, but generally consisted of personal effects and
household furniture. It remained the wife's for life, descending to