Loading, please wait...

Use mousewheel to zoom in and out, click to enlarge

Details

LOT 0188

Old Babylonian Cuneiform Tablet from Sumu-el, King of Larsa in Babylonia, to his Officials in Various Towns Ordering them to keep a Strict Watch

CIRCA 19TH CENTURY B.C.

2 3/8 in. (61 grams, 60 mm).

Pillow-shaped with cuneiform text to both broad faces, both short and one long edge.

Provenance

From the private collection of the late Dr D.G., 1990s.

Literature

Cf. cuneiform text from Babylon now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, under accession no.86.11.282.

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 0188

Old Babylonian Cuneiform Tablet from Sumu-el, King of Larsa in Babylonia, to his Officials in Various Towns Ordering them to keep a Strict Watch

Sold for (Inc. bp): £1,235

Print page

RELATED LOTS

  • Western Asiatic Mixed Stone and Glass Necklace Bead Collection
    Western Asiatic Mixed Stone and Glass Necklace Bead Collection
    1st millennium B.C. and later

    Sold for (Inc. bp): £494

    Comprising a quantity of small beads, mostly drawn coloured glass beads intended for embroidery. 84 grams total, 1-16 mm



    UK gallery, early 2000s.

    Lot Details

  • Proto-Sumerian Stone Stamp Seal with Two Animals
    Proto-Sumerian Stone Stamp Seal with Two Animals
    Circa 3000 B.C.

    Sold for (Inc. bp): £234

    Plano-convex stamp seal with design of two crouching quadrupeds placed tête-bêche. 17 grams, 30 mm



    Acquired in the mid 1980s-1990s. Private collection, Switzerland, thence by descent. Private collection, since the late 1990s.

    The motifs have been created using a drill, hence the rounded appearance.

    Lot Details

  • Sumerian Terracotta Bulla Envelope with Impressed Decoration
    Sumerian Terracotta 'Bulla Envelope' with Impressed Decoration
    Uruk Period, circa 5500-3100 B.C.

    Sold for (Inc. bp): £2,860

    Complete and of spherical form, containing clay 'tokens'; the outer face impressed with enigmatic motifs. 229 grams, 65 mm



    Specialised collection of cuneiform texts, the property of a London gentleman and housed in London before 1988. Thence by descent to family members. Examined by Professor Wilfrid George Lambert FBA (1926-2011), historian, archaeologist, and specialist in Assyriology and Near Eastern archaeology, in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The collection is exceptional for the variety of types, including some very rare and well preserved examples.

    The impressed detailing on the outer face of the sphere presumably gives an indication as to the contents, but since so few of these items survive intact there is little certainty on the subject.

    Lot Details

Stay up-to-date with the latest from TimeLine Auctions by joining our mailing list