Cuneiform tablet: Utukku lemnutu, tablet 3
Unknown Artist
ca. late 1st millennium BCE
Medium
Clay
Dimensions
5 x 3.75 in. (12.7 x 9.53 cm)
Classification
Clay-Tablets-Inscribed
Culture & Period
Seleucid · Seleucid
Department
Ancient Near Eastern Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Purchase, 1886
Accession Number
86.11.379a, c–f
Art Historical Context
Step into the ancient world with this remarkable cuneiform tablet, *Utukku lemnutu, tablet 3*, from the late 1 millennium BCE. Crafted from clay and measuring a compact 5 x 3.75 inches, it hails from the Seleucid—a Hellenistic era blending Greek influences with enduring Mesopotamian traditions following Alexander the Great's conquest. Acquired by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in1886, this inscribed artifact exemplifies the Ancient Near Eastern mastery of wedge-shaped cuneiform script, pressed into soft clay with a reed stylus before firing for durability. The title *Utukku lemnutu* refers to...