Su alcuni aspetti delle attività dei collettori di beni nei testi di Ebla

Abstract

The article intends to contribute to the study of the term ur₄ by focusing on the attestations that show the close connection of the ur₄ officials with some members of the Ebla élite. In particular, it should be noted that some officials recur constantly in connection with the same members of the Eblaite court, for whom the officials delivered and purchased mainly harnesses for equidae and wagon parts, being also involved, in the case of the King and mainly of the Minister Ib-rí-um, in the management of their residences. In the same way, the ur₄ officials were also part of the personal staff of the Eblaite princesses and some of the women of Minister Ib-rí-um’s family. In most cases the officials were known to the Eblaite court, they were lugals or even relatives of the Minister Ib-rí-um. The attestations confirm that also the ur₄ officials coming from foreign kingdoms carried out the same type of activities. Furthermore, it is possible to highlight a certain recurrence that binds the foreigner ur₄ to their kingdoms of origin.