Ancient Near East, Mesopotamia, Sumer, ca. 3rd millennium BCE. A nice gathering of 6 hand-built clay tablets of rectangular forms, each containing a series of inscribed lines of cuneiform text. The largest tablet features 18 lines of cuneiform text while the 5 remaining tablets contain either 9, 14, 16, 24, or 25 lines of text, respectively. These tablets provide a glimpse into everyday life in ancient Sumer and how messages were communicated and how transactions were cataloged. While untranslated, these tablets perhaps provide an accounting of payments rendered to workers, or shipping manifests for certain types of goods, or even messages to loved ones in faraway regions. Size of largest: 3.44" L x 2.23" W (8.7 cm x 5.7 cm)

Provenance: East Coast collection, New York Gallery, New York City, New York, USA, acquired before 2010

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#137745

Repairs to 5 tablets including the largest, with chipping and light adhesive residue along break lines; unrepaired tablet has chipping to one line of text on one side. All pieces have light encrustations, softening to some inscribed cuneiform characters, and chipping to faces, corners, and peripheries. Nice remains of cuneiform characters across each tablet.