INTRODUCTION
chives in Babylonia is to be discountenanced ... as positively misleading." With this latter alternative conclusion and with the constructive conclusions no one will quarrel: it is only the conclusion that no library smaller than that of Ashurbanapal or less literary should be called library, which needs attention.
The constructive conclusions are as follows: (1) the temples had extensive archives, (2) these contained primarily temple business records including letters, (3) they contained also private business documents, contracts, deeds, wills, etc., while private business firms kept their own collections of records as well and in their own counting rooms, (4) temples had schools and (5) these schools had their outfit for instruction, sign lists, exercises, etc., also religious texts, and these ranged perhaps into the hundreds if not thousands, (6) religious texts used in the temple were also kept if not in the schools,
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