THIRD DYNASTY OF UR, CIRCA 2042 B.C.

Details

A SUMERIAN CLAY CUNEIFORM TABLET
THIRD DYNASTY OF UR, CIRCA 2042 B.C.
Rectangular in form, one side flat and one convex, with 96 lines of Sumerian cuneiform written in two columns on each side, with three short columns on the left edge, recording the accounting for a large amount of grain and their milled flours, their bala and any imbalance (waste in processing), dating to year two of the reign of King Amar-Suen
5 13/16 in. (14.7 cm.) long

Provenance

with Elias S. David (1891-1969), New York; thence by descent.

Special notice

This lot is offered without reserve.

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Lot Essay

The accountant of this tablet was a specialized "Scribe of Flour," a well-attested title in the vast agricultural bureaucracy of the Third Dynasty of Ur. The government scribes of this period still wrote out each entry in full, rather than developing a columnar/ledger format, which thus guaranteed the necessity of full scribal employment.

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