Cuneiform tablet: distribution of barley
Unknown Artist
ca. 1614 BCE
Medium
Clay
Dimensions
6.1 x 5.5 x 2.3 cm (2 3/8 x 2 1/8 x 7/8 in.)
Classification
Clay-Tablets-Inscribed
Culture & Period
Babylonian · Old Babylonian
Department
Ancient Near Eastern Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Purchase, by exchange, 1911
Accession Number
11.217.28
Art Historical Context
This unassuming clay tablet, inscribed with cuneiform script around 1614 BCE during the Old Babylonian period, the distribution of barley—a staple crop essential to ancient Mesopotamian life. Measuring just 6.1 x 5.5 x 2.3 cm, it offers a tangible glimpse into the bureaucratic world of Babylon, where administrators meticulously tracked resources to sustain cities, temples, and laborers. Acquired by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1911, it exemplifies the everyday documents that fueled one of the world's earliest civilizations. Cuneiform, the world's oldest writing system, was created by pre...