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Identification and Creation

Object Number
1983.102
Title
Fragment of Cuneiform Tablet: Old Assyrian Letter
Classification
Tablets
Work Type
tablet
Date
c. 1900-1750 BCE
Period
Bronze Age, Middle
Culture
Assyrian
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/289655

Physical Descriptions

Medium
Clay
Technique
Impressed
Dimensions
6.2 x 3.5 x 0.9 cm (2 7/16 x 1 3/8 x 3/8 in.)

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
1983.102
Division
Asian and Mediterranean Art
Contact
am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
Permissions

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Descriptions

Description
Fragment of clay tablet with cuneiform writing. The fragment is inscribed with ruled lines of text written in the Old Assyrian dialect of the Akkadian language. The fragment represents the upper right corner and most of right half of the obverse of the tablet. The reverse is completely missing and there are no seal impressions preserved. The tablet probably comes from the trading colony (karum) by the mound of Kültepe (ancient Kanesh) near Kaiseri in Cappadocia (central Anatolia).

Very little of the text is legible but the first two lines indicate a standard letter formula. The sender of the letter is Waqqurtum ("precious one"), which is known to be the nickname of the daughter of the well-known merchant Pushu-Ken. The recipient's name is half broken, but may be Puzur-Assur.

IMAGE: Middle row, middle fragment.

Exhibition History

  • 32Q: 3620 University Study Gallery, Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, 08/31/2019 - 01/08/2020

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