Sumerian Clay Tablet Recording Animal Sacrifices
Sumerian Clay Tablet Recording Animal Sacrifices
Place of OriginIraq, Puzriš-Dagan (modern Drehem)
Date2049 BCE
Dimensions1 9/16 × 1 3/8 × 9/16 in. (3.9 × 3.5 × 1.5 cm)
MediumClay
ClassificationUtilitarian Objects
Credit LineMuseum Purchase
Object number
1913.503
Not on View
DescriptionRectangular clay tablet with cuneiform inscription on obverse and reverse.
Well-preserved surface with clear impressions of administrative text.
Contains a list of names and animals dedicated for temple sacrifice.
Label TextThis cuneiform tablet from Puzriš-Dagan (modern Drehem, Iraq) records an administrative transaction from the Ur III period (ca. 2100-2000 BCE). Written in Sumerian, the tablet lists names of people who sent a lamb or a kid for temple sacrifices, including the "patesi" of Nippur, who sent two. The date is recorded as the "month of the eating of the zebu bull (ses-da-kur)". The city of Puzriš-Dagan was a major administrative hub under King Šulgi of Ur, facilitating the movement of animals for temple and palace use. The tablet provides insight into the highly organized economic system of ancient Mesopotamia.Published ReferencesLangdon, S., "Miscellanea Assyriaca" in Babyloniaca: etudes de philologie Assyro-Babylonienne, 7, 1922-1923, p. 75, no. 6.
Van der Meiroop, Marc, "Cuneiform Tablets from The Toledo Museum of Art," Revue d'Assyriologie, no. 1, 1985, p. 18, repr. p. 24. “Babyloniaca 07, 076 06 Artifact Entry.” (2001) 2024. Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (CDLI). August 15, 2024. https://cdli.ucla.edu/P104764. http://bdtns.filol.csic.es/catalogo_directo_new.php?numBDTS=003746 https://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/epsd2/P104764
about 2040 BCE
Ur III Period (about 2100-2000 BCE)
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