Legal document: T-S G1.47

Description

Fragment with several different text blocks, chiefly a responsum attributed to the late Yaʿaqov Canpanton (d. before 1439 CE). Location: probably Spain. Dating: ca. second half of the 15th century. This unique fragment has been published by Dotan Arad. Above the responsum there are additional jottings, including accounts in Ladino mentioning the name Don Yosef, and potentially a draft of a commercial letter in Ladino. The writer reports having received a sum of 200 florins from Don Avraham to be sent to the city of Valladolid (ואלדוליד), and additional amounts are noted. "This text proves that the document, at least its upper part, was written on Spanish soil prior to the expulsion of 1492; it was likely brought to Egypt after the expulsion. The date 25 Marheshvan appears in the last line, but without the year. Following this is a glossary entry, “copper – called acero in the foreign tongue [laʿaz]." The responsum itself concerns a business partnership and distributing profits to avoid interest. Not noted by Arad is that a few words are written partially in Arabic script, including the name דون نيمين (Don NYMYN). (Information mainly from Dotan Arad's article and edition.)