Large Proto-Sumerian Terracotta Cuneiform Tablet

4TH-3RD MILLENNIUM B.C.

3 1/2 in. (236 grams, 89 mm).

Pillow-shaped with incised grid to the broad faces, dense cuneiform text in the columns with impressed pellet numerals.

Provenance

Private collection, acquired in the late 1980s-early 1990s; thence by descent.

This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.13179-249318.

Literature

Cf. Monaco, S., Archaic Cuneiform Tablets from Private Collections, CUSAS 31, Cornell, 2016, for other comparable tablets.

Footnotes

Various collections of cuneiform tablets form a corpus of texts mainly of an administrative nature, from the Uruk III and Ur III periods. The proto-cuneiform, as a system of proto-writing, emerged in Mesopotamia ca.3500-3200 BC, during the Uruk period.

CONDITION

VETTING:

TimeLine Auctions follows a vetting process to ensure the authenticity and legality of all items, reinforcing our commitment to integrity and responsible trading. Each antiquity, antique, and coin lot undergoes thorough examination by a vetting committee of at least ten external specialists, professional trade association members, scientists, and archaeologists: Our Vetting Process

AUCTIONS:

TimeLine is a leading auction house specialising in antiquities, ancient art, collectables, natural history, coins, medals, and books. Our auctions offer museums, collectors, historians, and enthusiasts the opportunity to acquire unique and historically significant pieces.

LOT 0247