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Identification and Creation

Object Number
1963.108
Title
Clay Foundation Cone: Old Babylonian Period Cuneiform Inscription
Classification
Inscriptions
Work Type
inscription
Date
2000-1500 BCE
Places
Creation Place: Ancient & Byzantine World, Asia, Mesopotamia
Period
Old Babylonian/Isin-Larsa period
Culture
Babylonian
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/290309

Physical Descriptions

Medium
Clay
Technique
Impressed
Dimensions
Height: 6 cm (2 3/8 in.)
Diameter at Base: 3.8 cm (1 1/2 in.)

Provenance

Recorded Ownership History
Mrs. W. Stewart Hamaker, Portland, Maine; gift to Fogg Art Museum, 1963.

State, Edition, Standard Reference Number

Standard Reference Number
CDLI P393094

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line
Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Gift of Mrs. W. Stewart Hamaker
Accession Year
1963
Object Number
1963.108
Division
Asian and Mediterranean Art
Contact
am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
Permissions

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Descriptions

Description
Small clay cone with cuneiform inscription written in Sumerian. A foundation deposit of Sin-kashid, an Amorite (a west Semitic speaking tribe) ruler of Uruk during the Old Babylonian period (2000-1600 B.C.E.), commemorating the building of his palace.

Little is known about Sin-kashid, outside of his numerous building inscriptions. Almost all make reference to his construction work on the Eanna ("The Temple of Heaven"), as in the example here.

Text reads:

{d}Suen-ka3-ši-id / nita kala-ga / lugal unu-ki-ga / lugal Am-na-nu-um / u2-a e2-an-n[a] / ud e2-an-na / mu-du3-a / e2-gal / nam-lugal-la-ka-ni / mu-du3

Sin-kashid, mighty man, ruler of Uruk, king of the Amnanum, provider for the Eanna-temple, when he built the Eanna, he built his royal palace.

Publication History

  • Deena Ragavan, “Cuneiform Texts and Fragments in the Harvard Art Museum / Arthur M. Sackler Museum”, Cuneiform Digital Library Journal (2010), no. 5.1

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