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LOT 0179
Western Asiatic Cuneiform Tablet, A Letter from Karariya to Taridum a Servant of King Iluni
2ND MILLENNIUM B.C.
3 1/4 in. (110 grams, 82 mm).
A roughly rectangular clay tablet bearing dense rows of cuneiform text to both principal faces and to each of the four side edges; a letter from Karariya to Ṭaridum, probably a servant of Iluni, Karariya serves a foreign ruler (as indicated by the mention of the deity Hitti) who has just ascended the throne; he is of the same rank as Taridum, who considers him his brother: 'May Šamaš and Hitti preserve my brother alive forever!'; they deal with matters they have in common, a lawsuit to be tried by Karariya, and exchanges of goods between their two houses: 'There are no more wicks (?) for the lamps in my house (...). The wine from my stock is spent and we could not load the donkeys (with
wine) for you'; repaired.
Specialised collection of cuneiform texts, the property of a London gentleman and housed in London before 1992.
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.
This small collection is exceptional for the variety of types, including some very rare and well preserved examples.
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AUCTIONS:
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LOT 0179
Western Asiatic Cuneiform Tablet, A Letter from Karariya to Taridum a Servant of King Iluni
Sold for (Inc. bp): £520
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Central Asian Seal Pendant with Monkey
23rd-20th century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £78
A bronze stamp seal featuring an openwork stylised monkey design; suspension loop to reverse; accompanied by a typed and signed scholarly note by W.G. Lambert, the late Professor of Assyriology at the University of Birmingham, 1970-1993, which states: '...This is round, with flat face and flat back, on which there is a small loop for suspension. The design consists of a depiction within a plain outer band. It shows a sitting monkey with tail up and front paws raised, perhaps holding something. This comes from west central Asia and dates to c.2300-2000 B.C. There is some wear and damage to the outer edge of the seal, but the design remains clear. The metal has been conserved.' 10 grams, 33 mm
1980s-early 1990s collection, UK. Accompanied by an original typed and signed scholarly note issued by the late Professor W.G. Lambert. -
Western Asiatic Painted Spouted Vessel
1st millennium B.C.Estimate: £300 - 400 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £100
A bulbous ceramic 'tea pot' with everted rim, bridged spout and strap handle, polychrome painted frieze composed of stylised trees, possibly animal beneath a canopy and figurative architectural form, bands and geometric motifs elsewhere, possibly phallus beneath the handle. 2.27 kg, 28 cm high
Acquired 1980-2015. Ex Abelita family collection. -
Neo-Babylonian Cuneiform Administrative Tablet from the Reign of Artaxerxes I, Achaemenid King of Persia
465-424 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £910
A pillow-shaped administrative clay tablet bearing cuneiform text to both principal faces, relating to a barley debt; Aramaic graffiti to one edge. 114 grams, 67 mm wide
Specialised collection of cuneiform texts, the property of a London gentleman and housed in London before 1992. 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 tablet records a promissory note of a typical kind to pay for barley. It concludes with the names of witnesses, town and date. The Aramaic script transcribes the cuneiform name of the debtor into Aramaic script, making it easier for scribes to identify who each tablet refers to. It dates to the Achaemenid period, to the reign of Artaxerxes I (465-424 B.C.). Such late administrative tablets are typically carelessly written, as is apparent on our example as some script has been rendered slanting sharply downwards.
