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Inscribed Clay Tablet and Case

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Inscribed Clay Tablet and Case

Place of OriginLikely Iraq
Dateabout 1894-1595 BCE
Dimensions1 9/16 × 1 3/16 in. (39.69 × 30.16mm)
MediumClay
ClassificationUtilitarian Objects
Credit LineMuseum Purchase
Object number
1908.86A-B
Not on View
Collections
  • Sculpture
Published ReferencesVan der Meiroop, Marc, "Cuniform tablets from The Toledo Museum of Art," Revue d'Assyriologie, no. 1, 1985, p. 19. “TMA 08.086 Artifact Entry.” 2014. Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (CDLI). June 25, 2014. https://cdli.ucla.edu/P465834.Label TextThis ancient clay tablet and its protective case are inscribed with cuneiform script, one of the earliest writing systems developed in Mesopotamia. Tablets like this were used for administrative, legal, and literary purposes. The exact origin and content of this tablet remain under study (possibly Old Babylonian?), but it provides valuable insight into early record-keeping and communication.

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