The oldest known written language,
cuneiform, first used by the ancient
peoples of the Near East over 5000 years
ago, is composed of a series of wedge-
shaped incisions made with a sharpened
reed stylus. This script was adopted by
all the major civilizations of
Mesopotamia for recording their distinct
languages, including the Sumerians,
Akkadians, Assyrians, and Babylonians.
Clay tablets were the preferred media
for everyday writing because they could
either be easily recycled or, if a
permanent record was required, fired in
a kiln and preserved. The earliest
recorded inscriptions are not myths of
histories, but rather banal economic
transactions and accounting documents.
Later, one of the most famous written
works of the ancient world, Hammurabi’s
code, was recorded in the cuneiform
script. While these marks may appear
obscure and mysterious to our eyes,
scholars have made much progress in
deciphering cuneiform after discovering
inscriptions on the Behistun Rock, a
cliff in western Iran. Much like the
Rosetta Stone, the Behistun Inscription
contained the same text written in three
different languages (Persian,
Babylonian, and Elamite), all of which
utilized the cuneiform system of
writing. Due to the resemblance of these
languages to modern ones, scholars were
able to crack to code.
This terracotta tablet reveals just how
intricate a system of writing cuneiform
was. In the hands of a talented scribe,
a remarkable amount of information could
be squeezed into a relatively small
space and yet still remain legible.
Both the front and back of this tablet
have been written on, containing a total
of thirty-four lines of text. Like most
tablets that survive, the text details
administrative matters, here relating to
an endowment, including the names of
those making the endowment among other
information. Dated to the reign of
Nazi-Maruttash, the Kassite King of
Babylon, this fascinating tablet may
have been little more than an invoice or
contract during its own time. However,
today, this work provides valuable
insight into the domestic affairs of the
Middle Babylonians while also serving as
an astounding example of how refined the
cuneiform script was.
- (X.0126)
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