Old Babylonian Cuneiform Tablet

£ 575.00

A pillow-shaped rectangular clay cuneiform tablet from the Old Babylonian period. Cuneiform scripts have been incised on the obverse and reverse along with the sides however; some sections are now missing. It is likely this tablet was recording administrative texts.

Date: Circa 1900-1700 BC
Provenance: From a collection of a deceased gentleman pre 1988
Condition: Fine condition, slight chips to the body

SOLD

SKU: LD-539 Category: Tags: ,

Cuneiform was one of the earliest forms of writing, developed in the ancient lands of Mesopotamia. Babylonian society was a complex social structure and had a need, as we do today, to record such things as temple acquisitions, land transactions, financial loans, as well as their epic stories and personal letters. When the clay was wet, a reed pen or stylus would incise the piece with etchings. The clay would then be fired or left in the sun to dry, making the text permanent. Earlier forms started as pictographs which evolved into abstract forms which included circular impressions representing numerical symbols. Cuneiform is instantly recognisable by the wedge-shaped marks, usually pressed into clay tablets. Indeed, the name ‘cuneiform’ literally means “wedge-shaped”.

Weight 73.7 g
Dimensions W 4 x H 5.1 cm
Culture

Pottery and Porcelain

Region

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