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A clay object that is rectangular in shape and has been impressed in images of standing men and inscripted symbols. It is light red in color.

A clay object that is rectangular in shape and light red in color. It is shown laying flat on a white background. It has been impressed with two rows of three standing men in the center with two small lines horizontally in between them. On the right of them are many, small impressed symbols. On the left of them are inscripted symbols.

Identification and Creation

Object Number
1983.108
Title
Tablet Case with Inscription and Multiple Seal Impressions
Other Titles
Alternate Title: Ur III Cuneiform Tablet and Case Impressed with Seals
Classification
Tablets
Work Type
tablet
Date
2094-2047 BCE
Places
Creation Place: Ancient & Byzantine World, Asia, Sumer (Mesopotamia)
Period
Neo-Sumerian period, Third Dynasty of Ur
Culture
Mesopotamian
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/288467

Location

Location
Level 3, Room 3440, Ancient Mediterranean and Middle Eastern Art, Ancient Middle Eastern Art in the Service of Kings
View this object's location on our interactive map

Physical Descriptions

Medium
Clay
Technique
Impressed
Dimensions
5.5 x 4.4 cm (2 3/16 x 1 3/4 in.)
Inscriptions and Marks
  • inscription: Shulgi, mighty man, king of Ur, king of the four quarters, En-dingir-mu, the rider, is your servant

Provenance

Recorded Ownership History
Nanette Rodney Kelekian, New York, formerly in the possession of her father Charles Dikran Kelekian; gift to Fogg Art Museum, 1983.

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line
Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Gift of Nanette B. Rodney
Accession Year
1983
Object Number
1983.108
Division
Asian and Mediterranean Art
Contact
am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
Permissions

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Descriptions

Description
Clay tablet encased in clay envelope, with cuneiform inscription written in Sumerian acknowledging the receipt of bitumen to waterproof a boat; multiple impressions of one seal show a figure approaching a seated king, accompanied by a suppliant goddess.

Publication History

  • Stephan Wolohojian, ed., Harvard Art Museum/Handbook (Cambridge, Massachusetts, 2008)

Exhibition History

  • Impressions of Mesopotamia: Seals from the Ancient Near East, Arthur M. Sackler Museum
  • Re-View: S422 Ancient & Byzantine Art & Numismatics, Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Cambridge, 04/12/2008 - 06/18/2011
  • 32Q: 3440 Middle East, Harvard Art Museums, 11/16/2014 - 01/01/2050

Subjects and Contexts

  • Google Art Project

Verification Level

This record has been reviewed by the curatorial staff but may be incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of Asian and Mediterranean Art at am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu