Geniza Lab

Account, listing names, commodities, and quantities. Probably 14th century or later (among other reasons, since "son of" is written with a nun sofit).

Account of the Qodesh: personal account of a parnas, ca. 1040. Small fragment, the right part of a leaf, in which Yefet b. David b. Shekhanya listed his current pecuniary operations, on the 24th day of Tammuz. Revenues and expenditures were listed together as they developed. (Informtion from Gil, Documents, pp. 189 #19)

Accounts in Judaeo-Arabic.

Accounts in Judaeo-Arabic. The names are interesting and include Sayyidnā Waliyy al-Dawlah.

Account of a pharmacist listing household goods. (Information from Mediterranean Society, II, p. 585)

Accounts in four columns containing names and dates of debtors. (Information from Goitein's index cards).

Accounts listing food products in two columns. (Information from Goitein's index cards).

Account. Revenue of the qodesh from rent, ca. 1230. A small strip of paper, of which the upper part is missing, written on both sides. The part which is preserved lists 13 tenants. (Information from Gil, Documents, pp. 443 #133)

Account probably concerning an inheritance or a dowry. (Information from Goitein's index cards

Account book of Yeshua b. Ismail al-Makhmuri, containing payment orders. Dated ca. 1048. (Information from Gil)

Recto: Account in Arabic script, of unknown content. Torn and reused for a letter (see separate record).

Account, dated 1516 (ttqkb = 922, i.e. 1516 CE), in Hebrew, mentioning a khizana, treasury, seemingly a box in which all revenue was deposited and from which all expenditure was made. Nothing like this appears in documents from the classical Geniza period, which, Goitein writes, reflects 'the cumbersome system of financing the social services [which] had its source partly in the general technical imperfections of medieval administrations. The accumulation of public funds in one treasury was to some extent avoided in order to preserve them from the overreaching of rapacious government officials.' Written in the Hebrew language, and the writer, although using that Arabic word and dating according to Muslim months, apparently was a European, to judge from his spelling of Arabic names. (Information from Mediterranean Society, II, p. 101 [date given on p. 543]). Perhaps better explained by the non-corporate nature of the community in those centuries, at least. This late document may reflect the custom of Jews from Europe, who were used to a more corporate form of organization. One side: assets (=left in the khizana); other side, payments (=I gave to), with recorded total of one thousand 186 dr. (dirhams) (Information from Cohen)

Accounts. Perhaps in the hand of one of Ben Yijū’s workers, but not his handwriting. Similar to India Book III 19 (shelfmark CUL Or.1080 J95). The account was clearly written in India, as the prices are given in Indian coinage, Kūlamī fīlīs, i.e., from the famous port city Quilon on the Malabar Coast, and fanam. The writer's anonymous associate, whose account is registered here, was charged for the receipt of various commodities, including both Indian products and items usually imported for personal use from Yemen and the West. He must have been a Yemeni or from elsewhere in the West, who was staying in India. Commodities: civet, cinnabar, a copper pot, glass vessels, raisins, a lamp (or Indian horse chestnut? what is written is "qandalī"), sugar, honey, myrrh, storax, and Egyptian sugar. One of the important pieces of information to emerge from this document (assuming the merchant was careful with his sums) is that the fanam was not precisely a quarter of a fīlī but rather slightly less: the ratio is 0.236 in this document. (Information from India Book and Goitein’s index card.) Not edited in the India Book: an additional list of accounts on verso, written in Arabic script and Greek/Coptic numerals and headed by the glyph. One of the items on that list is zabada (civet), indicating that it is probably connected to the Judaeo-Arabic account. The word "fīlī" in Arabic script may also appear at bottom left.

Accounts of community of revenue from houses rent, Ca. 1250. Contains, listed in two columns, several current entries of revenue and expenditures. Both Hebrew letters and Coptic numerals are used. In addition, both sides of the leaf have various scribblings, mainly names of Hebrew months, written in another hand. These are unconnected with the document and may be writing exercises. (Information from Gil, Documents, pp.476 #143)

Account in cash (dirhams and dinars)

Account in the hand of Nahray b. Nissim, ca. 1061.

Account for building operations, ca. 1155-56. Very damaged fragment of a leaf, in which several entries in an accounting of building operations are preserved. An otherwise known compound, Dar al-Kaziruni, is mentioned. Data about plastering, building, and carpentry work are included. (Information from Gil, Documents, pp. 285 #58)

Accounts in Arabic script.

Accounting for five months, ca. 1230. Two leaves, the first of which has writing on both sides. The first part is an estimate of the expected monthly revenue from rent. A comparison of the sum expected for five months with the actual revenue follows. Then there are three columns of details concerning the sums paid and owed by different tenants. The order in which the columns are to be read is not the usual one. The estimated budget is divided into six main sections, according to the location of the apartments: The lane of the synagogue, the funduq, its vicinity, the "great bazaar," the Khabisa lane, and the Tujib quarter. There are 36 tenants in all. The arrearss come to baout 11.5% of the panned revenue (162 as against 1337 dir.). (Information from Gil, Documents, pp. 444-445 #134)

Collection for the capitation tax - jibayat al-jawali (verso) (for the 6th week of the liturgical year, usually falling in November). As the very small sums show, these were not payments to the government, but contributions toward the capitation tax of the poor. The collection was made on a Thursday (21 persons) and the subsequent Friday (15). Sums: 1 gave 11/2 dirham wariq, 13 gave 1 dirham, 3 gave 3/4 dirham, 12 gave 1/2 dirham, 2 gave 1/4 dirham, and 5 unclear or not preserved. All these sums together would not make the total of the yearly capitation tax required from one man. Because of the extreme poverty of the population, the tax was collected in installments. The fraction rendered 1/3 is represented by a 'v' on its side with a dot in the middle and another on top ( like an abbreviation mark); a 'v' on its side without a dot in the middle I think is 1/2 [half an 'alef]. The common Coptic slash is also used for 1/2. (Information from Mediterranean Society, II, p. 505 App. C 128)