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Back to previous pageCIRCA 604-562 B.C.
18 1/8 x 14 1/4 in. (3.07 kg total, 46 x 36.3 cm).
A rectangular section with fourteen columns of cuneiform text mentioning the foundation of a temple by Nebuchadnezzar II, translating as 'King of Babylon provisioner of Esagil and Ezida prime son of Nabopolassar, King of Babylon and Ebabbara, the temple of Shamash in Larsa..[...]; mounted in a custom-made velvet lined display frame. [No Reserve]
PROVENANCE:
From a collection acquired on the UK art market from various auction houses and collections mostly before 2000.
From an important Cambridgeshire estate; thence by descent.
LITERATURE:
Cf. cuneiform text relating to Nebuchadnezzar II and the restorations at Babylon on a terracotta cylinder from Babylon and now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, under accession no.86.11.282.
FOOTNOTES:
The construction of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon and the destruction of Jerusalem's temple are ascribed to Nebuchadnezzar II. He is featured in the Book of Daniel and is mentioned in several other books of the Bible.