Sumerian Clay Tablet
Sumerian Clay Tablet
Place of OriginLikely Iraq
Date21st century BCE
Dimensions1 13/16 × 1 5/16 in. (4.6 × 3.4 cm)
MediumClay
ClassificationUtilitarian Objects
Credit LineMuseum Purchase
Object number
1908.90
Not on View
Collections
Published ReferencesVan der Meiroop, Marc, "Cuneiform Tablets from The Toledo Museum of Art," Revue d'Assyriologie, no. 1, 1985, pp. 18. “RA 079, 018 36 Catalogue Artifact Entry.” 2006. Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (CDLI). April 15, 2006. https://cdli.ucla.edu/P332554.Label TextThis clay tablet, inscribed in Sumerian cuneiform, dates to the Ur III period (ca. 2100-2000 BC). Administrative records like this one were used to manage resources, labor, and state affairs in ancient Mesopotamia. The text is fragmentary but may pertain to a list of rations issued to messengers. The Ur III dynasty was known for its extensive bureaucracy, and tablets like this provide insight into daily operations in one of the world's earliest civilizations.- Decorative Arts
about 2040 BCE
Old Akkadian period (ca. 2340–2200 BCE)
Old Akkadian period (ca. 2340–2200 BCE)
Old Akkadian period (ca. 2340–2200 BCE)
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