The Online Library of Liberty

A project of Liberty Fund, Inc.

• Preface
• List of Abbreviations
• Sources and Bibliography
• Laws and Contracts
• I: The Earliest Babylonian Laws
• II: The Code of Ammurabi
• III: Later Babylonian Law
• IV: The Social Organization of the Ancient Babylonian State
• V: Judges, Law-courts, and Legal Processes
• VI: Legal Decisions
• VII: Public Rights
• VIII: Criminal Law
• IX: The Family Organization
• X: Courtship and Marriage
• XI: Divorce and Desertion
• XII: Rights of Widows
• XIII: Obligations and Rights of Children
• XIV: The Education and Early Life of Children
• XV: Adoption
• XVI: Rights of Inheritance
• XVII: Slavery
• XVIII: Land Tenure In Babylonia
• XIX: The Army, CorvÉe, and Other Claims For Personal Service
• XX: The Functions and Organization of the Temple
• XXI: Donations and Bequests
• XXII: Sales
• XXIII: Loans and Deposits
• XXIV: Pledges and Guarantees
• XXV: Wages of Hired Laborers
• XXVI: Lease of Property
• XXVII: The Laws of Trade
• XXVIII: Partnership and Power of Attorney
• XXIX: Accounts and Business Documents
• Babylonian and Assyrian Letters
• I: Letters and Letter-writing Among the Babylonians and Assyrians
• II: The Letters of Ammurabi
• III: The Letters of Samsu-iluna and His Immediate Successors
• IV: Private Letters of the First Dynasty of Babylon
• V: Sennacherib’s Letters to His Father, Sargon
• VI: Letters From the Last Year of Shamash-shum-ukÎn
• VII: Letters Regarding Affairs In Southern Babylonia
• VIII: Letters About Elam and Southern Babylonia
• IX: Miscellaneous Assyrian Letters
• X: Letters of the Second Babylonian Empire
• Appendix
• I: The Prologue and Epilogue to the Code of Ammurabi
• Prologue to the Code of Ammurabi
• The Epilogue
• II: Chronology
• III: Weights and Measures
• I.: Weights
• II.: Measures of Capacity
• III.: Measures of Length
• IV.: Measures of Surface
• V.: Measures of Time
• IV: Bibliography of the Later Periods
• The New Babylonian Empire
• Persian Period
• Macedonian Period
• Arsacide Period

XXV

WAGES OF HIRED LABORERS

Free labor in demandDespite the existence of slaves, who were for the most part domestic servants, there was considerable demand for free labor in ancient Babylonia. This is clear from the large number of contracts relating to hire which have come down to us. The variability of the terms agreed upon is witness for the existence of competition. As a rule, the man was hired for the harvest and was free directly after. But there are many examples in which the term of service was different—one month, half a year, or a whole year.

Slaves or dependants secured from ownersOne might hire labor from the master of a slave, or from the parents of a young man, not yet independent, and then the wages were small, a shekel or two. These wages were paid to the master or parents, not to the laborer himself.

Reapers for the harvest had half a shekel,1 or two shekels,2 each. The first may be the daily wages, the latter the price for a specific job. It is probable that the gur of corn for ten days also represents the wages for the whole period.3

Wages subject to adjustmentAverage wages have been estimated by Meissner4 to be six shekels per year, according to the Code, and some actual examples of contracts. But it was evidently a matter of agreement, for we have rates as low as four shekels and as high as eight. Usually the employer paid down a sum, for example, a shekel, as earnest-money; the rest was paid by a monthly or daily rate, or in a lump sum at the end of the term of service. Occasionally the wages might be paid down at the start, but this was rare and the amount less.

Often paid in produceVery frequently, of course, the wages were paid in corn instead of money. Many difficulties lie in the way of finding an equivalent of the shekel in corn. Harvest labor was probably far dearer than any other, because of its importance, the skill and exertion demanded, and the fact that so many were seeking for it at once. Further, after harvest, when the wages were paid, corn was at its lowest price. Meissner’s actual examples show that two hundred and fifty a might be accepted as yearly wages. We have such a variety of rates that it is difficult to draw any clear conclusion, but two young slaves at harvest could earn three hundred a, and for a whole year the wages might be over six hundred a, or even as much as three gur, or nine hundred a.1 The Code names ten a as daily wages. The average value of a gur of corn was a shekel, hence this gives a yearly rate of twelve shekels. In this case we may suppose that the laborer supported himself.

The labor duly guaranteedThe laborer had to be bound to perform his task. A penalty was attached to his failure to appear at the proper time, and guarantees were sometimes taken for his appearance. In other cases it is stipulated that the penalty for non-appearance shall be fixed by the king’s decision.2

Duration of service fixedIt was usual to name expressly the time of his commencing and leaving off his work. These clauses are incidentally of importance as fixing the names and sequence of the months at this period. Thus, from the example below we see that the month Tirinu preceded Elul.

Living usually includedOf course, the employer took all responsibility for the slave whom he hired. He fed and clothed him during his term of service. If he suffered any injury, the employer had to compensate the master. Occasionally the slave clothed himself,1 and then his wages were higher.

As an example we may take the following:2

Assyrian contracts name both wages and time-limit of workIn the Assyrian times we have certain examples of advances of corn, or money, at harvest-time for the payment of reapers, which have already been noticed under loans.3 An advance of money and food to workmen may perhaps be put here. But it is also a contract to do work. It reads thus:

Unfortunately, parts of the tablet are injured and so the sense is not at all clear; but the workmen seem to have had four days in which to do the work. The price offered was considerable.

In later Babylonian times we do not obtain much further information. Here is a good example:4

The hire is nearly thirty shekels a year, as in the next example:1

[1 ] 327.

[2 ] 2425.

[3 ] M. A. P., 57.

[4 ] A. P., 10.

[1 ] S. 61.

[2 ] 2455.

[1 ] 938.

[2 ] 1137.

[3 ] Page 251.

[4 ] Nbn. 210.

[1 ] 215.