Harvard Art Museums > 1983.107: Cuneiform Tablet and Envelope: Old Babylonian Sale Document Tablets Collections Search Exit Deep Zoom Mode Zoom Out Zoom In Reset Zoom Full Screen Add to Collection Order Image Copy Link Copy Citation Citation"Cuneiform Tablet and Envelope: Old Babylonian Sale Document , 1983.107,” Harvard Art Museums collections online, Dec 07, 2023, https://hvrd.art/o/289671. Reuse via IIIF Toggle Deep Zoom Mode Download This object does not yet have a description. Identification and Creation Object Number 1983.107 Title Cuneiform Tablet and Envelope: Old Babylonian Sale Document Classification Tablets Work Type tablet Date c. 1749-1712 BCE Places Creation Place: Ancient & Byzantine World, Asia, Mesopotamia Period Old Babylonian/Isin-Larsa period Culture Babylonian Persistent Link https://hvrd.art/o/289671 Physical Descriptions Medium Clay Technique Impressed Dimensions 7.5 x 5.3 x 3.3 cm (2 15/16 x 2 1/16 x 1 5/16 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 1983.107 Division Asian and Mediterranean Art Contact am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu Permissions The Harvard Art Museums encourage the use of images found on this website for personal, noncommercial use, including educational and scholarly purposes. To request a higher resolution file of this image, please submit an online request. Descriptions Description Rectangular clay tablet partially encased in clay envelope with cuneiform writing on both tablet and envelope. Multiple seal impressions (of the same seal) are preserved on envelope. Tablet is inside envelope and only partially exposed, so only reverse surface is visible. Envelope is broken with one edge and most of reverse missing. The text is dated to the reign of Samsuiluna (c. 1749-1712 B.C.E.), king of Babylon and son of the famous law-maker, Hammurabi. The text, which it is possible to reconstruct using both tablet and case (as the same text is typically written on both with only minor variations), describes the sale of a plot of land. The document follows a typical Old Babylonian formula: description of the size and location of the plot; the name(s) of the seller(s); the name of the buyer; the price; a statement that a ritual affirming the transaction took place; oath by the name of the king; witnesses; date. 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
