A Bride’s Dowry List

This list, enumerating the items that the bride brings into the marriage, represents the richest trousseau found in the Cairo Geniza, with a total value of 2,100 dinars. These lists detail the wife’s belongings that would be under the husband’s control to loan or rent out during the marriage, but in cases of dissolution due to death or divorce, would revert to her ownership. In addition to physical objects, lists such as this one might include the wife’s maidservants. This document is in the hand of the scribe Nathan ben Samuel (d. 1163) and is therefore dated to the period he was active. Born in Damascus, Nathan was active in Egypt at the Palestinian court. While other trousseau lists sometimes inflated the value of items, Nathan was known for punctiliously recording accurate values. In addition to his reputation as a careful scribe, he was also a poet.