Legal document: T-S AS 145.2

Description

India Book (IB) IV,2 (ח4). Legal document detailing an agreement between Ḥalfon b. Netanel ha-Levi and his partner Abū l-Faraj b. Abū l-Khayr. During the upcoming sailing season, Abū l-Faraj was to deliver some goods to Ḥalfon. Friedman/Ashur suggest that Abū l-Faraj was to hand over the goods to Ḥalfon in ʿAydhāb (l. 2, although it is cut off). The document stipulates Abū l-Faraj's return to Yemen before Kislev 1442, i.e. before November 4, 1130. If he does not return by this time, then Ḥalfon had the right to sue him. Location: probably Yemen. Goitein thought this document was written in Aden based on comparison to other legal documents from Aden. Dating: Sometime before Kislev 1442 Seleucid, which is November/December 1130 CE. Goitein suggests a date of 1128 CE but it is unclear why. AA subsequently identified ח101, which has similar wording and could plausibly belong to a different document, but he leaves open the possibility that it could also be connected to this document. ח101 (PGPID 9144) has a date: the last third of Tishrei in 1441 Sel. (October 6–15, 1129). If the other documents refers to the same case, then perhaps this document can also be dated to 1129 CE. Otherwise, it is not possible to narrow down the date of this document except to say that it was written sometime before Kislev 1442. PG (Information from India Book IV)