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Details
LOT 0233
Mesopotamian Cuneiform Foundation Nail
3RD-2ND MILLENNIUM B.C.
3 3/4 in. (322 grams, 96 mm).
Conical foundation nail fragment with broad domed top, columns of cuneiform text to the shank.
Provenance
Acquired in London in 1995.
European private collection.
Literature
Cf. similar item in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, under accession no.45.90, for type.
Footnotes
Temple nails or cones were placed in the foundations of newly-built temples. Their form imitates nails or pegs and they bear inscriptions stating the name of the reigning king and regnal year, and the god(s) to whom the temple was dedicated.
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