Old Babylonian Cuneiform Tablet

SUMERIAN, 3RD MILLENNIUM B.C.

1 3/8 in. (24.2 grams, 36 mm).

Of pillow-shape with lines of impressed cuneiform text to both principal faces, reading:
1) 1 wineskin suspended from a rope,
2) (for) Šu-Sîn the royal messenger
3-5) when he came <...>.
6) Intermediary Ašgi-tillassu, chief of the weavers.
7) Expense.
8) In the month šugargal,
9-10) the year bis when the priestess of Eridu was 'hired'.

Provenance

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.

CONDITION

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LOT 0236