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 for routine whether of festivals or daily labor or annual tribute such as were common in the highly organized Egyptian system, and necessary in any such system.

The general situation during the period as to archival matters is pretty well summarized by Moore in the EB. From the time of Solomon, and more doubtfully from the time of David, he recognizes that "records were doubtless kept in the palace" and that "the temples also doubtless had their records" while there may have been also local records of cities and towns. These records contained probably chief events, treaties, edicts, etc.—probably brief annals "never wrought into narrative memoirs." The temple records contained annals of succession, repairs, changes, etc. (EB 2:2021-8). The records were, however, probably not brief but contained treaties etc. verbatim in full. To this should moreover be added the significant fact that these archives