Cuneiform tablet: account of delivery of animals for offering, Ebabbar archive
Unknown Artist
ca. 626–605 BCE (?)
Medium
Clay
Dimensions
1.75 x 2.75 x 1 in. (4.45 x 6.99 x 2.65 cm)
Classification
Clay-Tablets-Inscribed
Culture & Period
Babylonian · Neo-Babylonian
Department
Ancient Near Eastern Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Purchase, 1886
Accession Number
86.11.158
Art Historical Context
This small clay tablet from the Neo-Babylon period (ca. 626–605 BCE) offers a fascinating glimpse into the bustling administrative world of ancient Babylon. Inscribed with cuneiform script—the world's oldest known writing system, characterized by wedge-shaped impressions made with a reed stylus—this artifact records the delivery of animals for temple offerings the Ebabbar archive Ebabbar, the temple complex dedicated to the sun god Shamash in the city of Sippar, a hub of religious and economic activity, where such meticulous accounts ensured rituals proceeded smoothly. Weighing just a few oun...