In the Tell-el-Amarna tablets _amêlu_ is still used as an official title, the word is akin to the early Arabic _’ulu_, _ulai_, and may be rendered ‘noble’. In accordance with this usage, in Babylonia, the king or his minister is often addressed in letters of the First Dynasty Period, in courteous phrase as the _amêlu sha Marduk uballitsu_, or ‘the _amêlu_ to whom may Marduk grant life’. The king was thus regarded as the First Gentleman of Babylonia. Often _amêlu_ has to be rendered ‘official’. But even in Hammurabi’s time, it was extended like our words Sir or Esquire to mark every person of position, not otherwise titled. It was accorded to many professions, even to craftsmen and artisans; but was as respectful as our Mr. Dean or Mr. Archdeacon, survivals of Magister or Master. Even in the Code it might denote ‘a man’ simply, and cover the second grade where the law recognized no difference of rank or status. When the law says, ‘if a man accuse a man,’ it uses _amêlu_ for ‘man’. Hence we may render _amêlu_ by ‘gentleman’ when he is contrasted with other grades, but ‘man’ simply when no reference to grade is contemplated. When on military service, the _amêlu_ was an ‘officer’, having under him smaller or greater bands of commoners, slaves, or tributaries. He was often a person of wealth, as well as position and birth, but might be poor, through misfortune, debt, or misconduct. For the most part he was of the Amorite stock, though so many bear genuine old Semitic Babylonian names that we may assume that old families of wealth and position from among the conquered had been admitted to the ranks of the _amêlu_, doubtless through intermarriage. The _amêlu_ dwelt often in a mansion or palace, literally great house, _êkallu_, the Hebrew _hekal_. Such palaces are mentioned as being built for men who certainly were not kings, nor even princes of royal stock. Hence, we may observe in passing, the slave of the palace (§§ 175-6) is not necessarily ‘slave of the king’. The city governor usually had his palace or mansion. We may conveniently render _amêlu_ by ‘patrician’; and even without implying all that that term would mean in ancient Rome, we see traces of a close analogy in the way in which foreigners attached themselves to the family of the _amêlu_ to obtain privileges of citizenship.