An Assyrian Clay Cuneiform Tablet, ca. 2nd - 1st Millennium BCE

A small rectangular clay tablet impressed with several lines of fine cuneiform script, written in the Babylonian-Assyrian dialect. The text, although not fully translated, appears to record a transaction or receipt documenting the delivery of goods, a common administrative record type used for trade and accounting during the late Assyrian and Neo-Babylonian periods. The text is neatly executed, with even wedges and consistent spacing, showing the practiced hand of a trained scribe.

Such tablets were part of a vast bureaucratic system used across Mesopotamia, often baked unintentionally through fire or deliberately for archival permanence. The current example retains good legibility on all faces. 

Medium: Clay

Dimensions: Height: 1 7/8 inches (4.76 cm) x 1 7/8 inches (4.76 cm)

Condition: Very good, with crisp legible impressions and minor chipping to corners and edges and minimal losses affecting the text. The tablet’s surfaces are stable and lightly patinated, with clear definition to the cuneiform wedges.

Provenance: Thilo and lzora Steinschulte private collection, VA, acquired in 1969 from Susette Khayat Ancient Arts Gallery, New York, then by descent. Accompanied by a copy of the original collector's paperwork and notes from the dealer.

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